Racing Time
by Lizzie Weasley
Summary: What would you do if the world's fate rested upon your shoulders, if you had to let go of the only thing that made you feel worthwhile, and you had to give up the only person you ever loved? Ask Harry Potter. HG&RH COMPLETE!
1. Chapter One: Letting Go

=== *Racing Time* ===

(A/N) Hi everyone, it's Lizzie! I've finally decided to start my sequel to Lean on Me. It should be pretty good, at least I think so. This fic is different than my last one. This one is a little more about Harry and Ginny's relationship and its really more of an adventure mixed into the romance of it all. This is my very first shot at adventure too by the way. Everyone applaud. There is definitely going to be R/H romance blended in here as well of course. I mean you have to put that in with it. No one could live without a little R/H in their life. Well here it goes. Oh yeah and before I forget, you really don't need to read Lean on Me to fully understand this fic but you get a clearer view of it and you'll probably enjoy it more too. This Chapter is mainly just an introduction or a prologue so to say, that's why its so short. I'll be sure to make the others alot longer than this on, I promise. Read on and remember to review afterwards. Bye. Until next time...

~Love from Lizzie  
  


(Disclaimer) All but the plot, my computer, and Chris belong to me. Everything else is for JK Rowling. Even though I do wish it was all for me.

Chapter 1: Letting Go

Ginny Weasley let her feet dangle a few inches from the floor while she sat comfortably on the old brown couch in the din of Grimald Place. Even despite the fact that the Weasley's have to be living in the dusty old house for the rest of the summer and maybe even the next, she still seemed to be able to smile all the way up to her ears. Surely the reason for her great happiness had to have come from what Harry had told her earlier.

"Ginny, I really need to tell you something later on tonight. It's really important," he had said in a whisper into her ear as he left the kitchen after breakfast. The first thing that had come to her mind had of course been what anyone else would have thought, something terrible was wrong. However once he began to snuggle her on the couch after lunch, and whispered, "I love you." in her ear before he left any room she became comforted once more. Surely there wasn't anything to worry about. In fact it was probably _really _good news. Now as she was waiting for him to come downstairs she was nearly jumping out of her seat with impatience.

Every thing was going wonderfully between Harry and herself right now. She could feel it in the air around them just how much in love they actually were. Every time Harry touched her, Ginny could feel chills race up and down her spine, starting at the exact spot first touched . And birds, instead of butterflies, would fly in swarms about her stomach every time he kissed her. It was the most wonderful feeling she'd ever felt in her entire life. She had, of course, had other boyfriends, but they had never made her feel as good as Harry did. She loved him so much, and she'd never know what to do without him by her side. 

A small creak from the doorway announced Harry's arrival. Ginny smiled at him framed in the doorway and patted a place beside herself. Harry smiled weakly and sat down next to her on the old brown couch. He began wringing his hands together not taking his eyes off his feet. Ginny sat there smiling expecting only the best. Harry bit his bottom lip and turned towards her holding her hand in his own.

"Ginny we've been together for seven months now, haven't we?" he asked. Ginny nodded smiling broadly. Harry gulped loudly and continued. "Well, that is a really long time and stuff and we've gotten to know each other, and we do love each other right?" Ginny nodded again this time a little more skeptically. Harry nodded too. "People always tell us that we're too young to know what true love is, but I know that what we have is true. There's no denying it. I love you so much, Gin, and I always will."

Ginny squeezed Harry's hand and turned his face towards her own. "I love you to, Harry, but where are you going with this?" 

Harry ran a hand through his messy black hair and this sent up a little white flag in Ginny's head that said quite plainly, "_Uh oh_." She knew now that she should have never asked.

"Ginny, I love you so much. Really, I do... But..."

"BUT?" Ginny said with a look of surprise. "But, what, Harry? There aren't any "but's" in love" Ginny's hands began to shake and Harry held them tighter.

"Ginny, we can't be together any more."

Ginny ripped her hands away from Harry's clutches, and looked for an explanation deep in his eyes. It had to be there somewhere. "What?" she asked in a whisper standing from the couch looking both shocked and terrified.

"Listen just calm down and I'll explain everything." Harry said beginning to look frantic at the look on Ginny's face.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN? HOW CAN I CALM DOWN WHEN YOU'RE TELLING ME THIS?" Ginny screamed in rage.

"Ginny, please just sit down and let me finish." Harry said soothingly, trying to grab hold of her hand.

"Don't-you-dare-try-and-touch-me-Harry-James-Potter." Ginny said through clenched jaws.

"Okay. Okay, I'll stop. Just please hear me out."

Ginny glared at him furiously, but something about the sad pleading looking his eyes made her sit down, still rather harder than she normally would though. She crossed her legs and arms and stared straightforward not daring to look at him again because she was quite sure she would slap him if she did.

"I have no other way, Gin. I have to let you go. I don't want it to be this way, but I don't want anything to happen to you. And I know if we keep going like we are something will." Harry said making repetitious efforts to catch her eyes again.

"You do have a choice, Harry! You have the choice to either stay with me are not. You chose 'not' and I still don't understand why!" Ginny could feel her eyes begin to burn as tears were trying to force their way out. She shut her eyes tightly trying to lock them in. She couldn't let him see her cry, not now, not ever. This is what he was trying to tell her, and she wasn't about to prove him right.

Harry shook his head in a pitying sort of way and sighed irritably. He didn't think it would be _this_ hard to say. He could have told it to anyone else and it would be easier than it was now. If she had been someone else, any one else, sure it would have been hard to say, but it would have been easier than telling _her_; than telling Ginny. There was no other way though; he had to do it. If he loved her, he had to do it. For her; for Ginny. 

"Ginny, I have NEVER felt this way about anyone else. I'm best friends with Ron and Hermione, but they have never made me as happy as have these wonderful months we had together. I love you more than anything else in the world and I'd never want to lose you. That's why I've decided that the only way to keep you safe is to keep you away from me. If Voldemort looks into my mind and sees how much I love you, he'll have found the perfect plan to get me to surrender. He'll kill you, Gin. Don't you remember what Dumbledore told us? He said that Voldemort is going to kill those who I love the most. Well, I can't think of one other person who I'd love more than I love you. That's why I have to do this. That's why I have to leave you. I would rather never see you again and know that you're safe than to stubbornly keep you here with me and let him kill you. I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

Ginny bit her bottom lip, which was beginning to tremble as the stinging in her eyes broke into tears. Not being able to hold it in any longer, she burst into tears. Her hands were shaking traumatically and she had to withhold herself from slapping him across the face. She stood from the couch, which she found out shortly was a big mistake. As soon as her weight shifted to the ground her legs gave way and she fell to her knees on the floor sobbing in a mixture of sadness, loss, anger, and confusion.

"You're doing this for yourself, Harry Potter. This is all for you!" Ginny wailed in the midst of her cries. "You _didn't_ think of me when you made that choice! You say you did, but you didn't! If you had been thinking of me, you would have thought about _MY_ decision, _MY_ choice of what to do! But you didn't, did you? All you ever tried to consider is what would make you feel happy, no one else but Harry. But what about me, Harry? How do you think _I _feel? Do you really think that I would rather sit back and watch you die rather than fight with you to win? NO, you didn't think about that, did you? DID YOU?"

Harry slumped forward and hid his face in his hand as his own wave of tears flooded his eyes. Ginny watched him shake as he began to cry silently. Finally, she stood once more to her feet and this time she didn't fall back down, even if it _was _close. She stumbled towards the door and began to leave out when she stopped and turned back towards the door, leaving it cracked open a bit for only half her body to fit through. She could plainly see Harry still sobbing into his palms. "That's what I thought," she whispered then slammed the door behind herself.

~*~

(A/N) Sorry I had to kick the story off in a sad kind of way but it had to happen for the rest of the plot to take place. I hope you like the first part. It took me a while to write it and it ended up being shorter than I expected. Don't worry thought the rest should be longer. This was just a sort of introduction chapter. The rest are going to be pretty long. Keep up the reviews. Love ya lots! Until next time...

~Love from Lizzie

(Preview of Chapter 2)

Harry tells Ron and Hermione what he had told Ginny. They tell him he did it for the best and he did the right thing. Mean while Ginny writes in her journal about how terrible she is feeling at the moment. The big thing happens when she tries to find a hiding place. She finds one all right but she also finds something else. Something more than she was bargaining for.


	2. Chapter Two: Seeking Comfort

===*Racing Time*===

(A/N) Really even despite the fact of how talkative I truly am, I can't think of a damn thing I'd like to say right now…

Oh well I guess I can only say thanks everyone.

Wow that sounds lame… Read on…

(Disclaimer) Yep! I've got the contract right here with me. Say hello to the new owner of Harry Potter and all his friends. Yep! That's right. I hooked up a few connections and I've got it. Ha Ha! You're looking at the new owner of the sweet simple redhead, Ronald Weasley! **sighs** Yeah I wish! Keep dreaming everyone. Maybe one of us will get luck one day and find someone like Ron!

Chapter 2: Seeking Comfort 

The next morning after breakfast had been served, Ron and Hermione were to be found in the Library arguing intently, as usual, over their morning chess match. From Ron's point of view, Hermione had just made a very unfair move causing his queen to be taken, and he was fighting with all his strength to prove her wrong.

"No, I'm positively sure that you jumped over one of these pawns. I saw you do it." Ron said for the third time so far.

"I most certainly did _not_, Ronald Weasley! I know perfectly well that a bishop can not jump over pawns, and I most definitely did not cheat the rules!" Hermione argued back in a high pitched squeak. 

"You did too! I just saw you do it! You were right here and in order for you to get to the queen you had to have jumped over _this_ pawn." Ron stated matter-of-factly. He crossed his arms across his chest as though doing this totally finished the matter.

"I think _not_!" Hermione squealed looking deeply offended at the very though. "Clearly, I was right _here_ because I remember deciding weither or not to take your knight or your queen! I know for a fact that I was right HERE!" She said this all very quickly and once she said the last word, she slammed her finger on the board hard making a few of the pieces topple over. She crossed her arms and legs and huffed in resentment, swinging her leg madly underneath the table. 

Ron laughed out loud and placed the pieces back on their squares. "Honestly, Hermione, can't you just admit it and be done with it? I was right and you were wrong. You know that has a really nice ring to it." He smiled slyly and began to sing in a little tune under his breath, "I was right and you were wrong. I was right and you were wrong."

"Admit it? ADMIT IT? I HAVE NOTHING TO ADMIT! I'M THE ONE WHO'S RIGHT AND YOU'RE JUST TOO STUBORN TO ADMIT IT, THAT'S ALL! YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M THROUGH WITH THIS! I QUIT!" With those last two words she threw the entire game board onto the floor along with the chess men who were now shouting in anger. Hermione gave another irritated huff and began to stare intensely at the ceiling with full concentrating, as Ron looked from her to the scattered pieces in shocked disbelief. His mouth hung open and he dropped the piece in his hand onto the table with a 'clunk'. Hermione seemed very proud of herself with his stunned reaction and even grinned stealthily. A small grin played across Ron's mouth surprising her even more. She definitely wasn't expecting him to smile. More so, she was expecting him to be horrified.

"Wicked!" Ron whispered staring at her in awe.

"What?" she asked skeptically. That was all so unexpected. The one thing she would have was for him to blow up, not to say "wicked". It was just... wrong.

"That was wicked hot!" he said wide-eyed with amazement, almost as though he were seeing her in a whole new light.

"RON!" she said blushing red in the face with embarrassment.

"No really it was!" Ron said wiggling his eyebrows up and down. "It was _very _attractive! You sure know how to turn _me_ on," he said smiling slyly. Hermione looked almost shocked that he would actually admit that out loud.

"Ron!" she said in fake outrage, but by the cute look on his face she couldn't help but laugh out loud. 

He walked over and picked her up, carrying her over to the couch where he sat her in his lap. He kissed her deeply as she ran her fingers through his soft red hair. Just as things were just getting good, a forced cough from the doorway made them break apart immediately as though they had been shocked. 

There stood Harry still in his bed robes, his hair messily matted and his eyes bloodshot like he hadn't slept all night.

"Sorry if I interrupted you." he mumbled running a hand uncertainly through his hair. 

"Not at all, Harry. Sit down." Hermione smiled as she felt herself blush. Ron groaned in resentment and she elbowed him hard in the stomach making him cough.

"OW!"

Harry walked over and sat in an orange armchair next to the bookshelf. Ron and Hermione could tell by the look on his face that there was something wrong.

"Harry, is there something the matter?" Hermione asked worriedly. She knew of course that there was something wrong but what it was had _never_ crossed her mind. Sure Harry had discussed it with them, but Hermione wasn't really sure he'd actually _do_ it. She'd never expect Harry to actually break up with Ginny. 

Harry was silent for a few seconds and only ran a nervous hand through his hair a couple of times before he actually spoke up. In fact he didn't speak until Ron impatiently interrupted Harry's train of thought. 

"Well?" Ron snapped finally after Harry had waited one second to long.

Harry sighed and sat back on the chair looking more and more stressed. "I broke up with, Ginny." he muttered not looking at either one of their shocked faces. Both Ron and Hermione were wearing identical looks of astonishment. They cast each other looks of disbelief as Harry fiddled with a stray thread on his shirt.

"Harry, you didn't really, did you?" Ron laughed in nervousness even though the situation was clearly far from funny.

Harry nodded his head and looked over at them in an almost scary seriousness. "I did." he said mechanically. Ron got up and began to pace the room frantically as Hermione bit at her fingernails not knowing what to do with herself.

"I did it last night after you all went to sleep. I had to do it. I had no other choice, right? She could have died couldn't she, if she had stayed with me? I don't know what to do with myself anymore."

Harry hung his head in defeat and Hermione patted him awkwardly on the back." It's all right, Harry you did the right thing," she said trying to find some way to make it easier for him. Ron however looked more shaken up about the whole thing than even Harry was.

"Would you please stop running your hands through your hair. It's messy enough as it is!" Hermione commanded of Ron, rolling her eyes. 

Ron took no notice to her however and continued on pacing, running his hand through his hair as he and Harry always did when they were scared or nervous about something. "B-but she's okay now, right? "She's not still upset, right? Did she cry? Did you explain the whole thing to her? Is she alright now? Where is she now? She's not still crying, is she?" Ron babbled in a frantic over-protective-big-brother-rant.

Harry shook his head unusually. He _didn't_ know where she was right now, and, really, it pleased him not to. If he did, he'd probably run up to her crying his heart out and begging her for forgiveness. He had to keep telling himself that it was best to stay as far away from her as possible, just in case he did.

"I dunno." Harry muttered leaning forward, hiding his face in his hands. "Maybe she's in her room or something."

Ron chewed at his lips and stopped pacing suddenly. A panic-stricken expression showed bluntly on his face, and almost at once he bolted for the door. Hermione realized what had most likely crossed his mind and she took off after him in a mad rush. She caught up to him just as he reached the second hallway that led up to her and Ginny's bedroom. 

"Ron! No stop, Ron!" Hermione called out and threw herself in front of him blocking his way.

"Hermione, get out of the way! I have to stop Ginny before she does something stupid!" Ron yelled as he tried to move out of Hermione's path. Hermione kept jumping back in front of him repeatedly getting in his way. If she hadn't known him better than she did, she never would have attempted trying to block Ron's only route to his baby sister. She would have figured he would have knocked her down by now, but she knew Ron would never try to hurt her. 

"Ron, stop, and just listen to me! I know what you're thinking and she's not going to do it! She's not like me!" Hermione cried shakily getting nervously worried he might actually get away from her.

"How do you know! Now get out my way!" Ron shouted trying to duck under her arms. He stopped abruptly and almost fell to the floor in shock when Hermione's hand came out of nowhere and rapped him hard across the face. Ron stared at her wide-eyed in disbelief and lightly touched the spot where Hermione had just hit him.

"What was that for?" he asked, his mouth still hanging open in astonishment.

"You wouldn't listen to me." Hermione said matter-of-factly. "I really didn't want to hurt you, but you were being frantic, and there's no other way of getting your attention while you're running in circles around me."

"I know of a few others." Ron commented slyly. Hermione put her hands on her hips and turned on her best impression of Professor McGonagall. Ron began to laugh at the look on her face. "Just kidding. Just kidding!"

"Well I'm not, Ronald Weasley."

"Undoubtedly not if we're on full-name terms." Hermione gave Ron another stern look and his face fell. "Shutting up now!"

"Finally, you're going to listen! Now I know Ginny, and I know for a fact that she would never try to kill herself. She's too strong willed to try that. She knows other ways around bad times; way's that I only found last winter. She knows how to control herself in frantic situations. She's stronger than I was."

"Yeah well I never would have though you would have turned to that either, but look where that got you!"

Hermione looked down at her feet guiltily. She hadn't talked about that night Ron found her in the girls' dormitory since... well, _that night_. It was painful then and it still was now, to think that she might not be here if it wasn't for Ron's good insight. Ron's face softened when he saw the familiar gloominess he hadn't seen on her for months quite plainly on her face now. He frowned and scooped her up into a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry, 'Mione. I'm sorry, and I promise I'll never talk about it again. Cross my heart."

"I-It's alright, Ron. I-It just... hurts me to think that I might not be here right now if it wasn't for you."

"I know, 'Mione. I thank God every night that I wasn't too late." he held her tight in his arms like he did that night back at Hogwarts. It pained him still to think that she could have died and he never would have gotten to hold her like he was now.

"Ron?"

"Hmm?"

"Promise me that you'll just give Ginny some time. She'll come around sooner or later."

"Alright. I promise."

~*~

Ginny sat on her bed scribbling like mad in the small pink journal on her bed. Writing things down always seemed to relieve some of her built up stress and help her sort things out in her head. Right now though, things were so hard to straighten out she wasn't sure she ever would. Tears were falling on the pages as her hand trembled while writing down her all the things that had been building up in her stomach for the past nine hours. It seemed like eternity since Harry had talked with her but it hadn't really been all that long ago. She, of course, hadn't slept all night and her eyes were burning from their lack of rest.

_How could he have done this to me? _she wrote furiously. _I never would have though that Harry would ever hurt me this way, and he did; even more so than I ever could have imagined. I never would have expected anything to hurt so badly as he did to me last night. It was more painful than I can explain. It was worse than torture and worse than death. It was the most horrible thing imaginable. It feels like there is some kind of huge gaping hole in the pit of my stomach. It feels so empty knowing that I can't have him anymore. He'll never hold me again. He'll never kiss me again. I'll always be alone because I'll never be able to love again; I'll never **want** to love again. Not after this, not after the pain this has caused me. I don't think I'll ever let myself fall as hard in love as I did with Harry. I don't want to hit the bottom again. It hurts too much when there isn't anyone to help you up, and there isn't anymore. I have no one. I used to turn to Harry when I felt lost, and Ron when no one else was around. But now Harry's gone and he isn't coming back, and Ron has someone else to love and comfort; he doesn't need me to break into his life, and I don't want to. Hermione already has her own problems to deal with right now and she doesn't need me to add on to her own stress. I don't want to burst into anyone's happiness anymore. I've already done that enough. I don't know what to do with myself anymore. I guess only time can tell._

Ginny snapped the little book shut with a quick snap and whipped away the tears in her eyes. She had been holding them in all night and now that she was alone she let them flow freely onto her cheeks. She held the pink tablet tightly in her arms and buried her face into her pillow as her chest shook with cries. Her sobs came out as waves onto her soft white pillow cover. She lay there shaking all over until she could cry no longer. Looking at the clock again she could see that it was almost time for lunch. She sat up and once more ran the back of her hand over her eyes. She got up from the bed and grabbed a tissue blowing her nose hard on it. She threw it into a wastepaper basket next to her dresser and went to put her journal back into the second drawer, but it was already cracked open. Someone had been digging in it. A flesh colored string shrunk back into the ceiling and her mind turned to the most probable culprit, or should she say culprits. Fred and George were staying with them again this summer and it was most likely, that one of them, if not both, had been snooping into her private life. I mean, what else did they have better to do? It's not like they had their own life to tend to. That is, unless you count ordering people around at a growing shop an actual life. 

Ginny sighed irritably and looked around the room for a new hiding place. The bookshelf in the opposite corner caught her eye. She shoved the book onto a shelf towards the top. _The hardest hiding places are always the most obvious,_ she assured herself not really wanting to concentrate on finding the _perfect_ hiding place for her journal. She turned around and began to walk out her room for a bite of lunch and soothe her hunger, until another thought came into her mind. The only thing that was building up in her mind was the image of Fred and George sitting on the couch rolling in laughter as they recited the following lines.

"I'll always be alone because I'll never be able to love again, I'll never want to love again. Not after this, not after the pain this has caused me." Fred would say in mockery. George would laugh out loud and continue reading.

"I don't want to hit the bottom again. It hurts too much when there isn't anyone to help you up, and there isn't anymore," he would say in a fake whimper. 

"Aw. Look Harry you made her cry." Fred or George would say and hang his lip. The other twin would hit the floor rolling in laughter.

Both of them would give mocking sad pouts and then burst out laughing again. Harry, who would be sitting on the armchair next to them, would hide his blushing face in his hands and she would overhear and run out the room crying.

Ginny shook the image out of her head and realized she was still standing in her room. For a second she had almost believed it had actually happened. That is what exactly _might_ happen if they actually did find it. She turned back around and saw quite plainly the bright pink among the mass of black on her bookshelf. How easily Fred and George would have seen it, she now knew. Maybe the most obvious _isn't _always the safest. She grabbed the book of the shelf and began to spin around in place thinking of another hiding place for it. Every time her eyes fell upon the bookcase a longing took over her. There was something about that bookcase that she couldn't quite get. It was almost calling her to put her journal there. She walked over to it once more and observed it fully. She noticed for the first time that there was a space behind it that would fit her tablet quite snuggly. She smiled in her luck and tried to jam it into the small space. It slid right in for a couple of inches and then it hit something hard. She pulled it out curiously and glanced into the crack. Sure enough she could see a circular shaped object sticking out of the wall a short way in.

"Hmm." she sighed putting her hands on her hips. She thought for a second then pushed with all her might on the tall shelf. She could hear the loud screeching of the wood on the floor and grimaced at the irritating sound. She stepped back to find she could quite clearly see what the object was.

It was a doorknob. It looked just like all the other knobs on all the other doors except it was smaller. It was a perfect circle with a small snake in the middle. Now with all doorknobs, there's always one thing that comes with it, a door. There on the wall was a small circular door about the size of a football (also know as a soccer ball) She gazed at it curiously until temptation got the best of her and she opened it. The hinges squeaked madly as she pulled on the rusted old door, and dust littered the bottom. She blew into it and the dust flew up loosely into the air causing her to cough as it filled her lungs. When she could see properly again she saw something at the bottom of the opening that made her almost scream in fright. Resting at the back of the small pantry was a brown leather book and the thing that really shook her nerves, a silver serpent.

Ginny caught her breath again and realized that it wasn't alive. She breathed out deeply and laughed in nervousness. She slowly and skeptically picked up the snake and fiddled with it between her fingers.

It was ice cold and hard as stone. By the looks of it, it actually was made of _pure_ silver. She had no idea how it could have gotten there and felt sneaky at having found it. She was almost expecting the owner to come barging in at any second and yelling at her for having found it. But by the looks of it the owner of this emblem was long gone and the serpent eternally forgotten. A small rough spot on the back of it made her jump with fright. She clutched her heart and turned it over in her hand. Writing was engraved in the stone and she could only _just_ make it out.

_Watch over us my fateful serpent. Protect us all from the painful fate that you withhold. Should this power befallen wrong hands our doom will surely prevail. This evil fate lies in your very grasp, for nothing but pure love can diminish pure evil._

Ginny reread it multiple times and couldn't make out anything it was trying to say. She wasn't the one who was good at these types of puzzles.

She gazed at it entranced for a couple of seconds until a rapping knock sounded from the door. There stood Hermione looking very awkward indeed. Ginny hastily shoved the snake back into the hole along with her journal and slammed it shut.

"Hey." Hermione whispered from the doorway.

"Hey." Ginny whispered in return, looking very flustered.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked nodding towards the cabinet behind Ginny's back.

Ginny looked nervously from the cabinet back to Hermione and began to search her mind frantically. The first thing that slipped into it was her journal. Of course her journal! Why hadn't she thought of it before? 

"Oh well, Fred and George found my hiding place for my journal again so I had to find a new place to hide it. I found one alright. I think it's my best yet." Ginny smiled trying to assure her. I guess growing up with boys _did _have it benefits. You learn how to lie and get away with things alot easier.

"I have to agree. That is a very nice spot. Was there anything in it?"

"Oh nah, just a few cobwebs and a couple dead bugs, nothing special really." Ginny shrugged and pulled the bookshelf back to where it was before.

"Okay, well, your mum wants you to go eat lunch. She says she can't have you starving yourself so she's insisting you go down before she pulls you downstairs by your hair." Hermione and Ginny both started laughing and they walked out of the door. Even though the nice smells kept filling Ginny's nose making her mouth water and her stomach growl and Hermione kept rattling on about some dumb story concerning her and Ron, Ginny's mind kept drifting back to the silver serpent locked away in the cupboard upstairs. What kind of mysteries did it hold, if any at all and who did it belong to before? As these thoughts rattled her brain, the words began to twist their way back into her mind. 

_Watch over us my fateful serpent. Protect us all from the painful fate that you withhold. Should this power befallen wrong hands our doom will surely prevail. This evil fate lies in your very grasp, for nothing but pure love can diminish pure evil._

~*~ 

(A/N) So what do you think of this post? A little freaky? Well whatever you think of it review and tell me about it. I don't want the whole "oh it was great keep going" crap. Tell me what you like and disliked. I want to know! I have to know! I didn't finish writing the entire thing so you can give me ideas and suggestions about my story also. Come on guys help me out. Thanks everyone. Luv yas! Bye!

(Thankies!) I didn't get very many reviews.**frowns** Help me out you guys!

~VoicezWithin- Thanks for the review. I'm not getting as many reviews as I hoped. Can you help me out? I don't get why no ones reviewing. I guess no one really likes adventure stories right? Give e some advice please or I might go into depression.

~RussellGrl15- Hey I'm so glad you're back! And you enjoyed my fic. I hope it turns out as well as Lean on Me did. So far I'm not getting as many reviews as I hoped. I'm feeling a little discouraged. I hope it gets better sooner or later.

~SarcasmSage- You think its alright? I'm a little skeptical. No one's reviewing…

~Mist Emoun Tains- I know poor Harry. Ginny's just trying to pretend like it isn't true and that they could still be together, but she's just making it harder on herself and Harry. Poor things, they're so over dramatic. LOL

~cristen- ACTUALLY things don't get better until the end. You know what it seems like my fics are always really sad… I wonder why…

Oh well they'll get happier. Things are just getting bad because I mean bad times are coming around, am I not right? Voldemort's killing people and Harry had no other way to protect her. Don't worry though it will be a happy ending.

~xzaire- Hey! I no how you feel for Harry and Ginny. I feel the same way and I'm writing the f-ing fic! LOL! Thing are going to get worse though. Did you like the sweet R/H in this chappie. I know it wasn't much but its there. Aw they're so sweet. Keep reviewing!


	3. Chapter Three: A handful of parchment en...

===*Racing Time*===

(A/N) Okay I know it been a while since I last posted a chapter for you but I only just found time when my parents weren't home. That's right I'm punished. I'm not even supposed to be online right now but what they don't know won't hurt me right? I won't be able to post again for about another 3 weeks. I'm sorry but it isn't really my choice. At least in that time I'll have a lot written and I'll have loads of posts for you when I get back. Promise! Oh yeah and I wanted to say that I'm sorry for making Ron and Hermione sound weird. I didn't mean for Hermione to sound abusive or controlling, I just wanted for her to sound kind of bossy, you know Hermione-ish. Sorry if I sounded brutal. So put me on your Author alert list and keep on the look out. I'll be back soon enough. Until then keep up with the awesome reviews! Until next time…

~Love from Lizzie

(Disclaimer) Yeaaaah that's right. I'm JK Rowling. You're so smart to have figured that out all on your own. Good for you...**cough**freak**cough**...

Chapter 3: A Handful of Parchment Envelopes

A loud, yet muffled, roar was coming from the den across the hall from the kitchen. Hermione and Ginny both glanced at each other with bewildered stares from the corner of their eyes and stared back down at the floor again. They quickly made their way into the kitchen as Mrs. Weasley's screams could be hear becoming louder and louder with each step they took.

They practically threw themselves through the door and slammed the door behind themselves to unexpected laughter. Ron and Harry were both thrown over in laughter and tears could be seen in the corners of their eyes.

"What's so funny?" Hermione asked with her hands on her hips.

Ginny slowly walked over and sat at the nearest end of the table and filled up her bowl full of cereal and milk. She made the best of her efforts not to look at Harry and it seemed like he was doing the exact opposite. it took just about all of her strength not to look up and ask him, "Just what exactly is your problem", but thankfully she didn't. She kept her head down and followed the circles swimming in the milky whiteness feeling awkwardly aware of his staring eyes.

"You should have been here it was so hilarious!" Ron laughed wiping away a few stray tears with the back of his hand. "Bill was just in here and he's just told Mum that he's proposed to Fleur."

Hermione's eyebrows knitted together and she looked deeply confused. "But I don't understand. Why was she screaming like that in the den? I wouldn't have though she would have taken it so badly. I thought she had finally taken a liking to Fleur."

"Yeah sure, she likes Fleur fine now. After she realized Bill wasn't just in it for her looks she began to get warmer towards her fine, but that's not it."

Hermione nodded her head for him to continue and he took a gulp of pumpkin juice.

"Well..." Hermione asked impatiently.

"Hold your horses, woman! I'm trying to catch my breath." Ron said waving his hands for her to stop. Hermione looked appalled.

"Woman?! Well I_never_-"

"Well Mum took it fine and dandy at first. She said the usual congratulations, cried a few polite tears of happiness, so on and so forth." Ron interrupted not noticing the look on Hermione's face what-so-ever. She crossed her arms and sighed in obvious defeat as Ron continued, "But then Bill decided to tell her exactly when he was planning on hosting the wedding."

"What's so bad about the date of the wedding that she'll yell at him like that?" Hermione asked, eyeing him skeptically. Ron shrugged casually and looked down at his food with and obvious smirk across his lips.

"Oh not that much, really. Just that they'll be getting married in a week." He began to snicker loudly as Ginny choked on her next bite of food and Hermione's mouth dropped in shock.

"WHAT?!" they both shouted in unison and Ron began to laugh uncontrollably.

"But I don't get it." Ginny said still wide-eyed in astonishment and disbelief. "How are they _ever _going to organize it so fast?"

To their great surprise, Harry, who had been silently eating for the entire conversation, looked up from his own bowl of cereal and answered her, "Oh, well, Fleur's mum and dad had already known about it and planned on organizing it to begin with. It was just Bill who was too afraid to tell anyone." As realization of everyone's staring faces finally settled into Harry's brain he looked down at his bowl once more and spoke no more. Hermione cleared her throat and took a sip of her own pumpkin juice.

"So, um, why so soon?" she asked politely trying to make conversation once more. Ron snorted into his glass and elbowed Harry in the ribs.

"I think we all know the answer to that, right Harry?" Ron grinned wiggling his eyebrows up and down. Harry grinned politely and then lowered his head once more over his plate. He looked like a vulture or a starving dog trying to protect his food from everyone around himself. Hermione huffed in disapproval and rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, Ron, is that all you ever think about?" she asked shaking her head in embarrassment.

"No, babe. That's just the most of it." He said seriously then bursted out laughing once more. Hermione rolled her eyes and buried her face in her hands.

"Ron you really need to get a life. It that what's mainly on your mind you need to find something more resourceful."

"Who says it isn't?"

"I do, it's sickening and disgusting and if your dating me I expect you realize that you won't be coming close to any of your so said "fantasies" anytime soon. At least not until we're married."

"Married?! Who said anything about marriage?"

"Oh Ron don't be so silly. I wasn't saying that we should be married any time soon, I was only saying..."

Their quarrelling continued on and it was soon drained completely from Ginny's ears by thoughts and worries. Harry green eyes showed visibly over his bowl of cereal and milk and Ginny couldn't help but stare longingly into them. She had grown so accustomed to it over the past couple of months she hadn't even realized she actually was. She would be so much happier if he'd be with her right now, holding her in his arms, maybe whispering sweet nothings in her ear just to see her smile. She could almost feel his warm breath against her skin right then and there but then she realized it was only the heater from Kreacher's old room.

Harry looked up from his food and his and Ginny's eyes met for a brief second before Ginny looked away blushing with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. Harry shook his head and picked up the parchment envelopes off the table Mrs. Weasley had thrown down before she had stormed off after Bill, not that long before. Scanning through them he could see they were addressed to Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and himself. He threw them each to their owner, glancing swiftly at Ginny to see if she'd catch his eye once more, and tore open his own.

Ginny ripped open her Hogwarts letter and quickly glanced over the supply list and introductory letter quickly before throwing them back down once more and taking a swig of pumpkin juice.

Ron and Hermione had both stopped chattering at the speed of light and instead both of them, along with Harry, had begun to scan their own letters frantically. Hermione and Harry were the first to groan in resentment.

"I'm wanted for Healer studies in ten days! That's next Monday! Bill said I was going to be serving in his wedding so how am I going to pick out a dress, go to the wedding, and attend Healer studies all in one week. It's too stressful."

"How did you know Bill wanted you to serve in his wedding if Mrs. Weasley only just found out?" Harry asked thickly.

"Harry, he told us all last January! He told you too! You're also serving in it! Don't you remember at all?" Hermione said looking a little concerned for his sanity.

"Oh yeah..." He said blushing.

"Well I've got Auror training coming up too. They don't say when but when do they ever. They let you know the day before and it up to you weither or not if you have time or not. To them its either you show up or you don't and fail. So I feel alot more stressed than you right now I'm sure. After all I don't know when I could be asked to go, it may even be on the day of the wedding and then I might not be able to make it at all." He said all very quickly trying to change the subject.

Hermione glanced over at Ron who had remained quiet the entire time and she, along with Harry and Ginny, could quite clearly see his mouth hanging open in shock at the letter in his hand.

"Ron? Ron, are you alright?" Hermione asked rubbing his back. Ron closed his mouth and placed his fork back on his plate.

He looked at them seriously in turn and then told them with out the slightest smile, "I'm not going into Auror training." Hermione lowered her face sadly and placed her head on his shoulder.

"Ron, it will be okay. You'll find a better job, something you're better at. You just wasn't meant to be an Auror, you'll find something better next time."

A smile extended on Ron's face blind to Hermione's eyes. "I already did." He declared in a whisper.

Hermione looked at him skeptically. "Y-y-you did?"

"I'm Keeper for the Chudley Cannons." he whispered his smile growing with every word he said. Hermione looked at him with wide eyes and her own smile spread across her face until she was absolutely squealing with delight. "Oh my gosh! Ron, you made the team you made the team!" she yelled as loudly as her voice enabled her too in such a high pitched voice.

"I made the team!" he yelled in response. he stood up and scooped her in his arms twirling her around as you would see couples in old fashioned Muggle movies do.

Ginny looked up smiling awkwardly as they interlocked in a passionate kiss. "Good job, Ron." she managed to whisper with out cracking while still holding back tears and the huge lump in her throat. She stood up silently and as swiftly as a ghost glided out of the room as tears broke the barrier in her startling brown eyes.

Harry managed to get a glimpse of her face before she disappeared out the door. He too stood from his won chair feeling terribly guilty, patted Ron on the back and muttered undoubtedly some form of congratulation, even if it was unrecognizable, and disappeared from the room. He could hear Hermione call his name as he reached the stairs but he decided not to turn back. He didn't want to bother them any more. They were happy and just because he was upset about something didn't mean they had to be too. They had their own life and he didn't want to make theirs any harder just because of his own problems.

It was his problem. It was his own and no one else's. Why was it that it was always him? Ron used to envy him over all his "popularity" and "fame", and he'd told himself over and over again about how happy he would be to trade places with him. He was sure if Ron could see the hell the so called "fame" caused him, he wouldn't give it a second glance. But of course Ron had no idea. No one did, not even Ginny.

"Ginny..." he sighed as he sat down in a corner of the library room. If only she could understand what he was trying to do everything would be alright again. If only she could accept that what he did was for her own good, he'd be better now. Why did it have to be this way? Why did it always have to be him? Why couldn't it have been someone else? Any one else?

Harry felt too frustrated at being himself any longer to bare it and instead of doing something irrational flicked on the television set Mr. Weasley had been fonding over a couple of days before. "The weather today is quite rainy and there might even be a chance of a thunderstorm by the looks of this cold front moving in from the North." the weather man said grinning ear to ear. If only it was always that easy to talk about something bad. It almost seemed as if the news reporters were always smiling even if they were reporting the end of human life as we knew it. Maybe he should become a news reporter. Maybe they could teach him to be a little happier than he was now. He could see himself now, _Harry Potter, the Famous Muggle Newscaster_. Yeah that would work out just perfectly. He'd probably run out screaming his head off the first day if he had to smile that much. But then again since things were already bad, how could they get any worse.

If only he could have seen the future, of what was to come, maybe he would have cherished the time he had then. Of his silly ideas, his wonderful memories of Ginny, his foolish worries about Auror training. But what was to come would be much more terrible than he ever would have expected. He was expecting something to happen surely, but what would happen had never once crossed his mind. The most he was worried about was what was going to happen to Ginny. Would she be alright? Will Voldemort leave her alone now that he had broken up with her. It was as close to not loving her as he could get because he could never stop completely. Hopefully time would be on his side.

What he didn't know was that in fact he'd be racing it for the finish line. He would have to defeat Time in order for everything to be right again. And everyone one knows that if you're going to race time, you're going to need a head start or you're going to lose along with everyone else. Maybe if Harry would have known what was too come he would have made it to the starting line by now, but he didn't even have on his running shoes.

* * *

  


Ginny ran upstairs and began to throw all her weight onto the bookcase next to her bed pushing with all her might. She gave one final push and moved over to the small circular cabinet door in the wall that with held her journal and the silver serpent. She pulled out her journal and began to feel along the bottom it for the serpent, but she couldn't seem to feel it. She glanced inside squinting around for it. The dim light shown on the snake making it glitter but curiously underneath, it was dark brown and not steel gray as the rest of the bottom. She touched it and surprised herself when she felt cold leather. She jerked her hand back and peered inside once more. By a thin strip of light she could only just made out a long leather book on the steel bottom. She reached back far into her mind and could slightly remember seeing it there the first time she had found the cabinet, but she had been to distracted by the silver serpent to pay any more attention to it. She slowly placed her journal down on the nearest shelf and grabbed both objects out in one quick swipe.

Without taking her eyes away from the strangely cold book, Ginny sat down on her bed and gazed intently at the cover. You could tell by the look on her face that there was something that surprised her. In large and loopy golden letters at the very top of the cover was written the name that sounded so very familiar to her ears, _Regulus Black._

* * *

  


(A/N) PLEASE R&R!! LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

(Thankies)

~VoicezWithin-Yeah it DEFINITLY different than Lean on Me. I was getting kind of scared I was going to do something wrong cuz I'm not used to writing this sort of fic. I'm enjoying it though and I think it turned out better than I would have expected it to. I love the mystery of the fic. I love mystery stories and I though it would be fun to include it in one of my fics and it sounded the best in my adventure one. I'm glad you liked the R/H scene. Some people thought it sounded like Hermione was being abusive and such. I dunno maybe it did. Thanks again

~DarkFlower 2113- Well I guess that was a compliment but I still don't know if it was actually good if you would have loved it no matter what. LOL. Thanks again. Keep reviewing and keep up with What about me.

~xzaire- well I wouldn't necessarily say she'd the one wearing the pants but she does like to take charge of things so I figured she'd probably do that in their relationship also. She's a very take-charge type of person. Oh and you were right about finding out about who the serpent belongs to, but you still don't understand it fully do you. Well I guess you'll just have to wait and see.

~RussellGrl15- Wow. The first thing I noticed was that your review was the longest. Thanks for that. I really appreciate it. Thank you for making the comment about my writing improving. I'm glad about that. I don't make long paragraphs boring either. Another good sign. I noticed you said that the serpent was very sketchy, but that's really how I wanted it to be. I want it to be mysterious and strange and keeps you guessing. Oh and about the whole Hermione and Ron slap thing. Well I don't think I made it very clear and I'm sorry but Ron was very shocked at first and was about to blow up when Hermione explained herself. Does that sound about right. Uh I can't ever get things right when I write them. I have this clear image in my head of what I'm talking about but sometimes I can't seem to get it down on paper. Thanks again for the awesome review. I need more like yours.

~serpent- Sorry I guess you're going to have to keep guessing about the riddle until next post, but at least you know who it belongs to now right. Well I guess it really doesn't answer much but that's not the point...

~CM- Well actually she doesn't need to be protected from everyone in this fic. She is a very powerful person and I know that. I love Ginny and I respect her. And I think that Harry was doing it for her own good. After all isn't that what Voldemort is after, to kill Harry. Well what better way to lure him there than to take the one he loves most(AKA Ginny) He just didn't want that to happen to her so he decided not to be with her anymore so that she might not be the main target anymore.( even though he still loves her like crazy) Get it? Maybe I just confused you...

~SarcasmSage- Thanks. I really wanted to try something different this time and I got this. It should turn out okay. Comment more next time please. I need to know what you don't like also. It would definitely help and I might be able to improve it. I can take the pain. Give me your best shot!...Not too hard though. hehe.

~cristen- Yes I do feel very special. I'm very glad you sad more than you usually did. I'm so proud of you. Hehe. Anywho the reason Ron was being so "brainless" as you called it was because he was being spastic about Ginny's well being. After all he does care about his sister a lot and he's had experience with suicide with the whole Hermione thing in the last fic. I promise not to make him seem so clueless next time though alright. Thanks again for the extra long review. Try to do it more often. **hint hint**


	4. Chapter Four: Going Mad?

==*Racing Time*==

(A/N) I know just by looking at it this chapter will totally seem like a joke because it is. I decided to post the smallest chapter I have made so far EVER and decided to post it just to make you guys suffer. I know its been a while and such since I have posted last but this is all I could seem to do while my parents left for short periods of time during the day. Its VERY short I know but I definitely have more. I swear I do, but your going to have to wait three more days for it. I love to make you suffer. Anywho I know this is a very short chapter but its also terribly good. I read it too my step-brother, who has not even watched a HP movie much less read the book and he said that he wants to read the rest of my fic. I felt so special **grins happily** But anywho I really think you'll enjoy it. Its the freakiest chapter yet so it better be good. I liked it so that's all that really counts. Okay enough with the rambling hear you go! Go ahead and read I won't be stopping you any longer. Until next time...

~Love from Lizzie

~*~

(Disclaimer) Okay I think you should know this by now but this fic's plot, the silver serpent, Black's journal, and the voice in Ginny's head are the only things for me.

~*~

Chapter 4: Going Mad?

Ginny stared in complete awe at the sight of the familiar name of Sirius's brother. The shimmer of gold letters seemed to entrance her, captivate her. Even with her past experiences with mysterious books, she couldn't help but read it. It was almost as if someone was forcing her too. A voice deep in her mind kept calling her name. "Go for it, Ginny. Just because the last journal you had was evil doesn't mean this one will be the same. Go ahead and read it. You know you want to!"

_I know I want to, _Ginny argued back to the voice_. But I don't now if I should. _Somewhere in the pit of her stomach, something kept telling her that there was something very wrong about this journal, but eventually curiosity and temptation took over her and she hurriedly opened it up to the middle of the book dated October 22.

Just before she got to read the first word a knock came from the door. Ginny sighed irritably and looked up to see who was there. Mrs. Weasley stood in the door frame with her arms crossed and her foot tapping like mad.

"Why didn't you come down for lunch?" she asked with pursed lips.

Ginny rolled her eyes out of impatience." I did, Mum. I just left a little earlier than the rest of the other because I... I wasn't that hungry."

Knowing her own mum she knew she had realized by now what was going on. She knew that, somehow, Mrs. Weasley had found out about what was going on between she and Harry, for her eyes turned softer and her mouth loosened up its tension. She knew her daughter all too well to not know what was going on in her mind.

"Oh," Mrs. Weasley said in a gentle whisper. "Well could you maybe come downstairs with me for a bit? I haven't seen you all day."

Ginny glanced back at the journal on her bed and then back at her mother. She wanted her mum to be happy, but then again, something about that journal kept calling her back to it. Something about that little brown leather book made her want to sit where she was now and read it all day long.

"Ginny?"

Ginny was snapped back into reality and realized she had been staring at it again and didn't even know it. She shook her head to get that awkward feeling out of it and stood up from the bed making her way over to the door. Mrs. Weasley wrapped a loving arm across her daughters shoulders and led her out the door. She closed it behind herself and kept walking towards the stairs. 

Ginny's heart began to beat harder and harder with every step she took. She began to breath irregularly and it almost felt as if she couldn't breath at all. Her arms began to shake and she felt as if she were about to faint. She knew that all the color had now drained from her face and her legs began to feel like jelly. Before her foot could even touch the first stair, Ginny took off in a wild sprint towards her bedroom once more. She could hear her mother calling her name, but it couldn't stop her. She just kept running; running as if her entire life and the fate of the world depended on the fact of her making it back to the little brown book still lying silently on her bed. 

She tore open the door and propelled herself onto the bed. As soon as she felt the cold leather in her fingers the greatest feeling of glee came over her body and flooded her soul. She hugged the book tightly to her chest and began to laugh. It was a loud cold evil laugh, one in which she would never expect to heard come out of her own self. She laughed harder and louder than she ever laughed before and didn't even know why she was doing so in the first place. It made her break out in a cold frightful sweat just by hearing the horrid laughter in her ears even if it was coming from her own mouth. Her face turned deathly cold and she felt as if she were about to faint from terror.

In one quick flash, she slapped her hand across her mouth to stop the laughter, she herself, couldn't control and all at once it ceased to exists. What had just happened? Had she gone mad? Her shaking still hadn't stopped, but she managed to stand up to her feet once more. She rubbed her arms nervously and bit her bottom lip because it was starting to tremble with fright. She stood there a while and waited for her pulse to return to normal and disappear from her ears then she walked out of the door with the journal still unconsciously in her hands.

~*~

(A/N) Okay I posted it so now R&R. In about three days I shall have the rest. Don't kill yourself alright. It will be up soon.

~*~

(Summary of Chapter 5)

Ginny finally has the chance to read Black's journal even though something inside herself is telling her not to. What she finds, she must never tell another soul because now she can trust no one. 

~*~

(Thankies)

~Sarcasm Sage- Wow! Very long good review! You definitely should write more like that. It's very helpful. I felt so proud that you couldn't find any errors. I was like blushing when you said it was really good. I'm so happy you like it. I try. Well I want you to (if you have time) review this one like your last review. All the way down to the last comma. Besides it will help improve you editing skills for English class. Thanks again.

~cristen- Oh well too bad about your review getting erased. I have that happen to me alot so I just hurry and copy the review before I submit it just incase it says something stupid like "you've already reviewed this chap. before" I hate that and I know damn well I didn't too. Thanks for trying.

~Mist Emoun Tains- Yay! I'm a fantastic Writer? I feel so special now! *grins broadly at the computer screen*

~xzaire- Okay so maybe I was trying to justify the title just a little bit, but I also though it was kind of good too. You didn't like it? Oh well I tried. Oh yeah and what do you think about this chapter? Another evil chapter huh?

~jac- I was wondering when you were going to pop up in my review list! I'm happy you found it. And do you really think I'm brilliant? Oh and by the way next chapter I'm gunna say what's in Black diary. Hope you can wait till then.

~RussellGrl 15- Thanks for reviewing. I love R/H too! They are so sweet together. I just HAD to put that scene in my last chapter. It was just too sweet to leave out. Oh and thanks about the whatsoever. Now that I look at it, it really does look cool.

~VoicezWithin- I loved the fact the Ron called Hermione "Woman" I though also that it was a very Ron thing to do. They are so cute aren't they. I think that Ron is just the most precious person EVER so I had to give him a chance at his dream job and he wouldn't just be following Harry around everywhere. Thanks for saying the thing about my fic going well I think so too. Now tell me what you don't like. Don't worry I can take it. Give me your best shot. *ducks and covers* Please don't hurt me...


	5. Chapter Five: The Journal Entries

==*Racing Time*==

(A/N) Okay I promised it would be here and it is. The one chapter when you see what is inside... Regulus Blacks journal. You still won't get a good picture of everything, but your not supposed to. It supposed to be confusing after all this is a mystery type story. Well go ahead and read now. I won't waste anymore of your time. DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW AFTERWARDS!!

~Love from Lizzie

~*~

(Disclaimer) Well you never know I may have inheireted it right? I mean you never know!!!

~*~

Chapter 5: The Journal Entries

Ginny and Mrs. Weasley both walked into the den which was now packed with people. Mr. Weasley, Fred, and George had come back along with two other men Ginny didn't know. Ron, Harry, and Hermione were talking to the first one who had sandy colored hair and a little patch of hair on the tip of his chin. He was very young and his blue eyes seemed oddly familiar.

The other man was about her father's age. He had very short blonde hair and a large bald spot on the back of his head. Mrs. Weasley seemed to recognize the second man because as soon as she caught sight of him a large smile spread across her face.

"Thomas is that really you?" she said racing over to him and locking him in a huge friendly hug as though they were old friend leaving Ginny to stand awkwardly alone.

Instead of joining Ron, Hermione, and Harry she walked over and sat down on the old brown couch looking about herself curiously. The sandy haired man kept glancing over at her over Ron's left shoulder and it was beginning to make her feel very uncomfortable. A sly smile crossed his lips and he made his way over to her after excusing himself from the group.

"Ginny is that you?" he asked shaking his head unbelievingly. Ginny would recognize that voice anywhere.

"Seamus?" she asked looking at him skeptically. He nodded his head and she jumped up and strangled him into a huge hug. "Wow! You look so different! I had no idea who you were at first!" she said in awe at the change the couple of weeks had done to him.

"Me too! I had to keep looking over her just to be sure I was actually seeing you right!" he laughed.

After his fifth year and her fourth, while Ginny was still dating Dean, she and Seamus had grown close together. The reason she and Dean broke up to begin with had been because he was getting jealous over her behavior towards him. After that, she and Seamus felt to awkward to even speak to each other again.

"So are you staying for dinner?" she ask nervously trying to get her thoughts off that time.

"Nah! I have to go with your parents, my Uncle Thomas, your brothers, Harry, and Hermione for a training assembly for the Order. I'll see you at Bill's wedding though. I heard that it came up on short notice. I bet your mum totally flipped out, huh?"

"Yeah! Well I guess I'll see you later then." she laughed as he made his way back over to his uncle and Ginny's mum and dad. Hermione noticed Ginny sitting back down on the couch and decided to join her. After all, it was starting to get annoying having to listen to Ron, bragging about his Quidditch position for an hour and a half.

"Hey." Hermione smiled friendly and sat down beside her red-haired friend.

"Hey." Ginny smiled in return.

"So I saw you talking with Seamus earlier. He's changed hasn't he?" Hermione winked meaningfully.

Ginny smiled and looked flustered.

"Yeah. He, er, does seem different doesn't he?" Ginny grinned biting her bottom lip to keep he smile to a minimum.

"Yeah, just the fact that he turned into a MAJOR hottie! Come off it, Gin! I know you had to have noticed that!"

"Well, I guess I had noticed it a little bit." Ginny said finally letting go of the large smile she had been holding back. Hermione nudged her shoulder then her face turned confused and Ginny stared at her bewilderedly trying to see what she was so curious about.

"What?" Ginny asked finally getting skeptical about Hermione's strange looks.

"Ginny, what's that?" she asked pointing to Ginny's right hand. Ginny looked down and saw Black's journal still in her clutches. She gave a startled cry and dropped it to the floor turning deathly pale. Hermione bent down to retrieve it and Ginny jerked it quickly from her grip.

"I-I-It's nothing! Just a book that I picked off my bookshelf upstairs, that's all." Ginny stammered trying to hide the journal from view. Hermione looked at her totally unconvinced by Ginny' peculiar behavior. The striking of an idea flashed in her eyes.

"Oh really! What's it called? I wonder if I have read it before." Hermione said sneakily trying to grab the book from her grip once more.

"NO! I mean, no, you haven't. It hasn't been published since it's last copyright in 1405. It would probably bore you anyway. It's just a stupid book about how to successfully remove garden gnomes."

Ginny shrugged keeping the book a safe distance from Hermione's reach.

"Oh really? Well I always wanted to know a little about garden gnomes anyway. Do you think I could borrow it later?" Hermione asked as a sly smile played across her lips.

"Er, no. No, because it-it-it's not mine. I, er... I borrowed it from the Library!"

"But you just said you found it on your-"

"Hermione!" Ron called suddenly cutting Hermione short on the rest of her sentence. He walked over and lifted her to her feet. "Come on, love. You need to get a place in line for the fireplace. They aren't letting us Apparate, and there's a limit to the Floo Powder. In other words, Dad forgot to get some last time he went to Diagon Alley and Mum's knocking him aside the head right now."

"But I...we-"

"You better go!" Ginny said waving her off frantically. In her mind she was reminding herself over and over again to repay Ron for his unknown good deed to her.

"Well, fine! If you say so, Gin." Hermione sighed grudgingly and let Ron drag her off to the fireplace to join the others.

Mrs., Weasley turned to Ginny and called out to her, "We'll be back soon, Gin!" before pushing Mr. Weasley into the fireplace ahead of herself.

_Hopefully not too soon._ Ginny thought to herself then took off in a wild sprint to her room.

~*~

As she walked into her room upstairs, Ginny made sure she locked the door tightly and then threw the journal in her hands onto her bed then began pacing the room back and forth. What was going on? How could the journal have been in her hands when she couldn't even remember taking it out of the room? She ran her hands through her fiery red hair telling herself to calm down over and over again.

_It was just a coincidence. You just didn't realize you had it in your hands but you really did. You just picked it up without realizing it. That's all._ She stopped pacing and stared down at the mysterious leather book. She wanted so badly to read it, but her experience with mysterious journals kept arguing back at the strong temptation.

_Ginny come on! You remember what happened last time you felt this way about a book! Remember where that got you?_

Yes, of course I remember! I'm not completely stupid! But come on, not all journals are evil. Just because I had bad luck with the last one doesn't mean this one's going to be the same.

__

Didn't you feel that strange feeling this morning? It was like you couldn't control yourself or what you were doing? I think that's a possible sign of possession, don't you think!

Yeah, well, I think it's just probably a sign of curiosity. Besides it will only be a peek. If anything bad happens, I'll just burn it or something.

__

Fine! Fine, don't listen to me! Do what you want! But just remember not to come crying to me when you can't control your body any longer! I tried to warn you, but would you listen? Noooo...

Oh shut your trap! Wait a second... I'm arguing with myself. Okay I have officially gone out of my mind!

Ginny bit her lip and flipped through the pages. All of these pages were filled with all of Sirius' brothers feelings, thoughts, emotions, and maybe a few things that happened at some of his meetings with Voldemort. She flipped through the pages again and found the page she was on when her mum had interrupted her and began to read were she had left off.

__

** October 22**

He has found it! My Lord has finally found the way to control all of the Wizarding world. He has found the way to kill off all of the Muggles and Mudbloods infesting this world that is rightfully ours. The one called Lastrange has revealed a prophecy that shall not let anything stand in our way to power. After Crouch had told us about the child's prophecy, we were all afraid that we may never get power and the child would win over us. But then My Lord told us of the plan. He would kill the child and if anything went wrong Lastrange's prophecy would take place. My Lord told me not to mention anything about the prophecy's content in this journal just yet. I'm not quite sure why, but he said that he'd let me know when the time came. Until then I will be sure not to write a word.

Ginny picked up her head and thought to herself for a minute about what he was talking about. What prophecy? The child he was talking about, was that Harry? She tossed these questions about in her mind before turning to the next page.

**October 23**

We officially heard the first prophecy this night. It was that there is a boy who was born last July to parents who had thrice defied My Lord. We now have reason to believe that the parents of the child are the Potters. My low-life brother's friend and his Mudblood wife are the ones who produced this horrid child, the only one who would be able to stop My Lord. Never will we let this child live. For if he does live, our plan of total power will fail. But it shouldn't be to difficult to kill the boy now that we have two ways of doing so. If we do fail at murdering the boy that is where Lastrange's prophecy comes in. She had told us something that will surely let our rule be complete. It will not let us down whatsoever, even if we fail at killing the boy. I still have not the authority to tell you about the second prophecy's content , but My Lord says that the time is soon. For some reason, this last prophecy makes me believe that we may fail at killing the boy. I know I mustn't but, I'm beginning to doubt Wormtail's information on the Potter's whereabouts.

Ginny looked up once more. This journal had been written only a couple of days before Harry's parents deaths. They knew that Harry would be a threat even before Harry knew how to talk. It made her shiver at the thought of Regulus Black hearing about the prophecy, maybe laughing shrilly at the news of Harry's soon to be attempted murder. But wait a second. They failed! But Black had said something about a backup plan! What backup plan? Did they start it already? Was it already fulfilled or was it yet to come? If it hadn't happened yet she'd be able to stop it before it started! She bowed her head back over the book and continued to read on.****

October 29

We'll be meeting once more tonight and then we will kill the boy tomorrow night. I'm feeling doubtful of My Lord's plan. He wants me to accompany him to the place where the boy and his parents reside, but I feel afraid that we may not accomplish it and if I do decide to go I may never return. I think we may fail. Something about that second prophecy makes me feel skeptical about the first one. Was there something we may have missed? I guess we will only have to wait and see.

Was that what the Death Eaters were after in the Ministry of Magic? Were they looking for the prophecy record of what they had heard from Crouch? They were trying to find out what they had missed and what they had done wrong! Black was right! Ginny turned the page and found an entry that looked as if it had been scribbled down in a couple of seconds as though Black was rushing it.

****

October 30

I will do My Lord's will even if he does not trust me anymore. I have told him of my speculations towards the plan and he got very angry towards me. Right now I have told my parents to go into town, and I hid myself in the cellar where it will take the other Death Eaters longer to get to me. I understand and accept my fate of punishment, but I must do my will before I die. The prophecy spoken to us by Lestrange was that a Heroine would come to save us. She will come and defeat the only other person who could demolish the Dark Lord. She is called the Heroine of Darkness and when the time is right, she will be woken and will lead us to defeat the boy and all of the unworthy Mudbloods and Muggles. That is why I must write this. To awaken the Heroine!

Oh might Heroine of Darkness, beseech your rightful place on the thrown of evil. You are our only hope at grasping the power we deserve. Awaken and find the power that so belongs to you! Diminish the boy who stands in our way to victory for it is you and you alone who can stop him. Without you we shall fail. Awake Heroine of Darkness and guide us to our victory!

I can hear them coming for me now. It won't be long...

Ginny turned the page, but found it blank. She shakily closed the book and rubbed her hands over her eyes. What was she supposed to do? She knew she had to tell someone, but who? Who could she trust? Anyone could be the Heroine so she couldn't just tell anyone.

She picked the journal up off the bed and place it back into the circular cabinet and shut the door. She gave one tug on the bookcase then stopped dead in her tracks. The snake and the journal! The Heroine was probably looking for them. They probably held some sort of magical powers and she'd probably need them. Ginny opened up the cabinet once more and took out the silver serpent emblem and the journal placing them neatly in her pocket. She may not be able to tell anyone about the Heroine just yet, but if this is what she was looking for she'd have only one was to get to it. Through her.

~*~

(A/N) Okay now tell me what you think? Was it bad? Was it good? Neither? Are there such things as a pink monkey? Okay maybe you don't have to answer that but the other two you do. So go ahead and review. And remember to make it nice an detailed just for me. 

(Summary of Chapter 6) It's time for the Wedding!!! Yay!! In this chapter we learn a little more about the background love life of Ginny and Seamus. It's gross right? Yeah I thought so too! But I had to put it. You'll see my reasoning soon enough.

(Thankies)

~VoicezWithin- Yeah of course I know it wasn't my best but I really was intending for it to be. I just didn't have enough time to type any more for the time being. Hehe. But anywho I'm glad you liked it anyway. Oh and yes I am pretty sure it did scare Ginny after all wouldn't it scare you at least a teensy bit?

~RussellGrl15-Yeah it was creepy. That's what I intended. Oh and you said it had meaning even if it was a short chappie. Thanks. I tried to get as much done as possible and this is all I could type for the time being. I hope you liked this chapter though.

~cristen- Thanks I hope you actually enjoyed it cuz you didn't really say if you did or not just that it was short and freaky.

~jac- You going on the right track! I hope you liked this chappie. I finally revealed what the journal says. Did it confuse you in any bit? 

~xzaire- Okay maybe it was a bit more than three days but its here right? Did you like it? Oh by the way you didn't offend my by saying what you didn't like. I usually don't like negative criticism (you know like "Oh I don't like this and that") but you didn't make it sound very… well…mean. Thanks. By the way you can always say what you didn't like. It helps me try to improve it. Just don't cut me down by saying stuff like "OMG that was so crappy and such" not that you did I was just giving an example. Okay all that explaining is giving me a headache. Thanks again.

**__**


	6. Chapter Six: The Wedding

==*Racing Time*==

(A/N) First of all, let me say that I've been reading this really good fic called Heartstrings and it's in my Fav. Stories list. I loved it so if you could please check it out. It's an awesome fic and really well written but the girl hasn't been able to get many reviews. Thanks and please, check it out. I swear its good.

I'm in a desperate slump right now and I feel the need for more reviews. Could ya'll please tell some other people about this fic for me, you know a kind of referral type thing. PLEASE?! I want more reviews and I'm starting to feel unloved. *sighs and looks about hopefully* well I guess I shouldn't be taking up your time so here's my new chapter.

(Disclaimer) Well you know what? The girls' dresses are mine. Hey it's a start right?

Chapter 6: The Wedding

Harry was sitting alone in the middle of the Quidditch Pitch on the Hogwart grounds. The moonlight swam across the pitch-black, night sky and a handful of stars sparkled in the distance. His prized Firebolt was in his grip and was pulling madly to get free. He let go of it and it floated a little ways above the ground hovering at the exact height for him to mount it. It dangled there for a while as he looked at it longingly. Finally he gave in and mounted it. Just as he was tightening his grip and preparing to kick off from the ground the sound of rustling leaves came from behind his back. He turned around sharply but found no one there. A single leaf twisted and turned and floated away into a light breeze and he sighed. It had only been the wind. Nothing to worry about.

He turned back again and shook off the haunting feeling of eyes on the back of his neck. He had finally gotten ready to kick off the ground once more when he heard it again. This time he was sure it wasn't just the wind. It was footsteps. He lowered his hand into his scarlet Gryffindor robes and slowly pulled out his long wand. He turned around sharply and pointed his wand straight at the heart of a dark figure lurking in the shadows of the near by trees from the Forbidden Forrest. 

"Who's there?!" he called out as his voice trembled with his obvious fear.

The figure stepped into the light of the moon and he could plainly see her red flowing hair and sparkling brown eyes. It was Ginny.

"Ginny! What are you doing out here?" he asked suspiciously as he let his pace slow down once again.

"I want to fly." she whispered into the air. It flew across Harry's cheek like the soft touch of a feather or a gentle breeze.

"What?" harry asked again trying to be sure he heard her correctly.

"I want to fly, Harry, and only you can take me there." she said smiling one of her gorgeous Weasley smiles that no one could ever resist.

Harry patted the end of his broom and she glided over to him without making a sound. She wrapped her arms about Harry's waist and laid her face on his back. Harry could feel himself tense up at her closeness. He had missed it so much. 

He kicked off from the ground hard and flew up high into the air feeling the wind rush through his hair and could hear it fly through Ginny's. She squeezed him tighter and he promised himself in his mind that he wouldn't let her fall.

_When they reached the perfect height to see all of the Hogwart's grounds and even part of Hogsmede Harry leveled out the broom and Ginny loosed her grip a bit on his waist. He looked about and took in the beauty of it all. The lake shimmering like diamonds, the windows of Hogwarts sparkling in the moonlight, the dark trees of the forest swaying in the wind, and Ginny, more beautiful than anything he had ever seen in his entire life. Nothing could ever replace his love for her. Nothing._

"Harry." Ginny's small voice whispered into his ear. Her light breath on his skin made goosebumps shiver up his back and the hair on his arms stand on end.

"Yeah." he said in return.

"Why did you let me fall?"

Harry's eyebrows kneaded together. What in the world was she talking about? She was sitting right here. She hadn't fallen.

"What? You never fell, Gin. What are you talking about?"

"Oh but I did, Harry. You let me fall a long time ago. When we were only half way up you let me fall, fall just as hard as if we had been 1000 feet in the air Harry. And now I'm dead to you, you and the rest of the world. You killed me!"

"No I di-"

Harry turned around on his broom to find nothing but air sitting behind him. 

"Ginny?" he whispered feeling a bit confused. He looked all about but could find her no where. Then he looked down.

"GINNY!" 

She was sprawled across the damp cool grass her eyes closed and her hair spread in every which direction. Harry sped to the ground as fast as his broom would allow and pulled up just in time to get off before he crashed. He threw himself onto the ground beside her and grabbed her wrist into his hand. There was no pulse. She was dead.

"NO!! GINNY! WAKE UP!! PLEASE WAKE UP!!!" Ginny's head wobbled limply in Harry's hand and fell back onto the ground in a slump. Harry wrapped his arms about her small cold body and pulled her close to him and wept onto her shoulder. She couldn't be gone. He loved her too much for her too be gone. She had to wake up. She wasn't dead. She could never die. He loved her too much for her to go now. She meant the world to him. If she was dead then, inside, so was he.

He rocked back and forth cradling Ginny in his arms knowing he'd never be able to hold her again once he let go, but he'd never let go. He had to hold on to her forever or he knew that he'd disappear too, and there wasn't any turning back after that.

All at once, everything began to go black. The moon disappeared the stars began to fade away and even the Quidditch pitch faded into the black night. All that was left was Harry and the empty girl sitting alone in the nothingness. Harry opened his eyes and instead of seeing Ginny's beautiful milky-white face full of cheery freckles, he saw nothing. His hands were no longer there nor anything else. He was nothing.

A slithering whispered filled his ears making it feel just like as if worms of some sort of snake had just crawled into it and then the most horrifying noise he ever heard rang full force in his head. It was a cold blood chilling laughter. Cold and evil enough to freeze you to the spot then the low hissing familiar voice filled his ears.

"You love her don't you, Potter? You care for her don't you? Never want anything to hurt her? Well it won't be long, Potter. It won't be long."

The laughter filled his brain again and his head felt fit enough to burst. It was streaming with pain but he could find the breath to scream. He couldn't even find the breath to breathe. He was going to suffocate in the mass of black and the horrible hissing laughter of Voldemort. And then...

He woke up. Harry gasped for breath and clutched his hand hard to his scar, which was burning like someone had plastered a flat iron to his scull and inside he was screaming with pain. But the red hair sticking out of the bed nearby made him hold his screams of pain inside. He couldn't wake Ron again. This had been the seventh time this week he had woken up to the same dream. 

_It won't be long._ The words of Voldemort still rang in his head. What did he mean by that? Surely, he couldn't get Ginny. I mean, they were safe where they were. Voldemort couldn't reach them here. Not with Dumbledore guarding them with his life. Dumbledore rather die than give up the secret so they were safe right.

Harry rolled over in his bed and closed his eyes tightly shut. He had a big day ahead he'd had to get some rest. But try as he may he couldn't get the ringing from his ears. The lingering words of the Dark Lord, _It won't be long. _

~*~

Ginny woke up July 23 sprawled across the kitchen floor with a large knot on the back of her head. She had been doing it again. This was the seventh time this week she had woken up somewhere besides her bed. Undoubtedly her impact on the kitchen floor had woken her up and she had hit her head on one of the step on her way tumbling down. Ginny rubbed the painfully large knot that had formed and walked back upstairs to the den. 

The sun was already beginning to peek over the horizon and was starting to sneak in through the windows. Ginny sat down on the same lumpy brown sofa she and Harry had sat on only just a week ago and she curled up in one of its corners holding her legs to her chest.

She had found herself acting very strange lately. She figured it had something to do with the stress and paranoia the journal had been causing her to go through the past week. She just couldn't seem to sleep correctly anymore and if she did happen to fall asleep, she'd wake up somewhere totally different such as she did this morning. It was beginning to scare her out of her wits just knowing that the Heroine could sneak up on her any time now and it could be anyone. At every little noise she'd jump about ten feet into the air and start to shake like she was having some sort of seizure. She had once pulled her wand out on Crookshanks when she heard him purring on the opposite side of her bed.

Somewhere above her head, she could hear her mum getting out of bed to start the morning. To bad for her. She would be working her end off for the rest of the day. It was finally the day of the wedding and every one was beginning to feel more stress than necessary. But then again, there were some things that really needed to get done. She still hadn't had the flowers placed, the tuxedos still needed to be picked up, and Hermione still needed her dress shoes.

Ginny was still curled up in the corner of the couch when Mrs. Weasley stepped into the room.

"You're up already?" Mrs. Weasley asked curiously. Ginny nodded and Mrs. Weasley continued to stare at her skeptically. "You're growing up so fast it almost too hard for me to keep up with your fazes." She laughed as she sat next to her only daughter.

Ginny lay her head on her mother's shoulder, letting her shining red hair fall onto her chest. "Why couldn't I have just stayed a little girl, Mum? Why'd I have to grow up?" Ginny asked unexpectedly. Mrs. Weasley snickered and kissed the top of Ginny's head.

"What's on your mind, sweetheart?" she asked sweetly but couldn't help but show an amused smile. She herself had felt the same way at her age.

"It's just...everything! Going back to school knowing that Ron's not coming with me, I'll be the only Weasley left, Bill's getting married, I just broke up with Harry after when been together for so long, now I feel like I'll always be alone for the rest of my life, and I also have this huge burden on my shoulder that I can't tell any one about, and it's driving me mad!" Ginny sighed and she could feel the knot in her throat loosen slightly. It felt good to get all that off her chest when it had been bugging her for this entire week.

"You can't even tell me?" Mrs. Weasley picked at her slightly.

"MUM!"

"Alright! Alright, I was only joking!" she laughed looking quite cheerful even despite her hardships of the day to come. Ginny shook her head and rolled her eyes at her mother's silly behavior. Honestly, couldn't she find another time to joke around and with someone besides herself?

"I just wish I didn't have to feel so stress out all of the time." Ginny sighed putting her face in her own hands. Mrs. Weasley patted her back and sighed herself. 

"Tell me about it!"

~*~  
  
It was finally done. Everything was finally in order and Ginny felt as if she could finally breathe again. She knew that even if it wasn't her own wedding everything still had to be perfect. She and Mrs. Weasley had made sure every last flower was tucked into place and every man had a tux. Even Hermione's shoes were finally on her feet.

Ginny sat and watched Fleur, Hermione, and Fleur's sister Gabrielle primp in front of the mirror...again! She herself had been done for nearly an hour, but it seemed as if it was taking them forever.

Fleur's long silvery hair fell to her waist in long curls; she along with Hermione's awesome wits had accomplished after hours of work. A long white veil was attached to a sparkling diamond tiara that was lying atop her head. Her dress was a tube topped dress, fit tightly at the top and fell nice and loosely at the bottom. Bead shimmered all over her dress every time she passed near a window. She looked absolutely stunning.

All the bridesmaids wore red silk halter-topped dresses full of shimmer and sparkles and dipped low in the back. The dress brought out every inch of Hermione's natural beauty and she looked just as gorgeous as Fleur and her sister. However, when Ginny looked at her own self in the mirror, all she would see was a plain ordinary girl who was trying to look flashy in a wonderful red dress that clashed horribly with her hair. In her eyes, she was hideous.

Mrs. Weasley stormed in suddenly, looking terribly stressed and overworked, carrying a large glass of brandy in her clutches. All four of the girls stared at her awkwardly as she began to pace the room rapidly, muttering to herself under her breath, then, at once, left the room again. The girls gazed at each other curiously then shrugged at the poor lady's peculiar behavior.

A few short seconds later, Mr. Weasley came in wearing a fresh white tuxedo and a large smile pasted onto his lips.

"Sorry about Molly, girls. She's feeling a bit stressful right now so don't take mind of her curious behavior," He snickered at their still peculiar faces. "She came in here to tell you that the guests have arrived and you'll be needed shortly, but she got a little...well...sidetracked. Yes! Sidetracked! So I should expect you skip on out into the entrance hall in about, let's say, ten minutes. Yes, that should be plenty long enough."

As Mr. Weasley walked back out of the door, Hermione and Gabrielle ran full force towards the mirror again for one last "checkup". Fleur, however, to Ginny's great surprise, did not. Instead, she sat down in a nearby chair twiddling her fingers nervously, looking deathly pale. Ginny feeling it her duty as maid-of-honor unwillingly trudged over to her side.

"Er, Hey." Ginny said smiling awkwardly.

" 'Ello." Fleur muttered in her thick French accent. Her eye looked terribly out of focus and her cheeks had lost all of their usual cheery color.

"You wanna talk?" Ginny asked knowing the answer before she had even asked.

"Non, I am fine. I am alright." Fleur mumbled looking down at her feet untruthfully.

"Of course, you're not!" Ginny said looking totally appalled at the very idea of her statement of being "fine". "No one is ever "fine" on their wedding day! It the very day you have to let go of all those totally hot guys out there and get stuck forever with one guy for the rest of your life. Why would you be okay? Besides, that's the whole point of having a maid-of-honor. They have to make sure the bride doesn't pass out from nervousness or rip of the dress and go streaking around the church yelling about hula dancing snowmen or something of the sort." Ginny joked trying to find something a bit more relaxing.

Fleur began to laugh and some or her color began to come back into her cheeks. When she smiled she seemed to light up the entire room and made Ginny feel more small and worthless than she had ever felt before. If only she could be as happily in love as this girl before her could. If only she and Harry were two normal people like Fleur and Bill perhaps they'd still be together.

"Merci beacoup, Ginny. You al'ays make me veel so vonderful. I am so very lucky as to 'ave you for a friend." Fleur said giving Ginny a big sisterly hug.

"Come on girls." Gabrielle squealed excitedly as she took off in a sprint for the exit door. "It's time."

~*~

The wedding went perfectly. It was just as beautiful as Ginny would have dreamed her own to have gone, with only one exception. The problem was that Bill had thought she and Harry were still dating and had paired them off together at the beginning and the end. Ginny had never felt so flustered as she did those few seconds it took her to walk down the isle with her ex-boyfriend.

It was finished now though and everything was done and over with. Never had Ginny felt so relieved. So now, she sat back in a cold chair at the reception hall, sipping on a butterbeer, waiting, along with the other guests, for Bill and Fleur to arrive.

Ginny watched as a band in the corner played a soft sweet song and couples came and went by twirling in place with the music. Ron and Hermione were sitting nearby bickering (as usual) over weither or not Ron was drunk. Ginny knew for a fact that she had seen Fred and George slip him a Firewhiskey when her mum and Hermione weren't looking.

Harry was sitting at the same table as them and yet he was pushed farther off to the side. Ginny couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him just then. After all, she knew what he was going through right now and she knew just how much it actually hurt. But then again, the only reason she was sitting there in the first place was because of him.

Taking Ginny quite by surprise, the chair next to her began to squeak madly as a person beside her began to pull it back. She looked up into the gorgeous face of Seamus Finnigan, his sandy colored hair falling flawlessly in his face as he flashed a charming smile at her.

"Mind if I sit down?" he asked flirtatiously waving his hand over the chair and giving another magnificent grin.

"No! Not at all." Ginny smiled in return patting the seat lightly. He sat down beside her and ran his hands through his hair making it fall back in his face sexier than it had appeared before.

"So...how have you been these days?" he asked casually, drumming his fingers on the table with the music.

"Fine, I guess." she lied biting her bottom lip as she always did when she was nervous or felt like she was doing something wrong.

"Well that's good."

"And you?"

"Same as always."

Silence.

Seamus continued to drum his fingers on the table and Ginny continued to chew at her lip for a while, as the awkwardness continued to increase. The tension between then began to become too much for either of them to bear and before long Seamus' last thread of patience snapped. He slapped his hand down hard on the table and turned to face a not so very surprised Ginny.

"Listen, this thing we have between us is just too much. I know that we feel awkward about Us together now but I can't take the fact that we can't still be friends. What we had then was then and no matter how much I wish it was, it's not now. We as friends are now. We were always close when you and Dean were dating, really close. And when we kissed and Dean walked in on us everything changed. He had broke up with you so that we could be together but for some reason, I don't even understand we just couldn't be around each other anymore. We haven't bee the same anymore and I'm just too sick and tired of it, Gin. Can't we just be friends again?"

Ginny stared at him dumbstruck then started to laugh out loud. "Yes! You have not idea how much I was hoping one of us would finally come out and say that!" Seamus smiled also and wrapped her in a tight hug just a slow song struck up.

"Hey, you want to dance?" he asked standing from the table with a tempting outstretched hand.

Ginny glanced over at Harry's table and saw him quickly look down at his glass of water. A small blush raced across his face and a sly smile pierced Ginny's lips.

"I'd love to," she said loudly, loud enough for anyone nearby to her very clearly. At the table across from her own, Harry placed his head into his hands trying to force back tears.

~*~

NOW READ AND REVIEW!!

(Discussion topic for the day) What's better Ketchup or Mustard? Hmmm...

(Quote of the Day) 

~It is better to remain silent and appear stupid than to open your mouth and erase all doubt.

(Summary for Ch.7) Ginny has been acting very strange and Hermione is beginning to grow concerned for her friend's well being. When she asks Ginny what's up she finds something bigger than she expected. But what shocks her even more is to find a wand pointed directly at her face.

(Thanks) 

~RusselGrl15- I'm glad you liked it so much.

~cristen- well it's pretty much confusing to everyone, but you get the main idea right? There is a Heroine who has the power to kill Harry. And Ginny has no idea who it is. Well actually no one does. Got it?

~xzaire-Well actually Fred and George didn't do much, but they did get Ron drunk. Hehe.

~jac- Well I dunno… maybe maybe not, I guess your just gunna have to keep reading to find out **wink wink**

~Shanks Weasley- Wow! I'm glad you like my stories so much but really you shouldn't kill yourself over it. Thanks for reading. J Oh and by the way I will be checking out your fic VERY soon. Look out for me alright. Yay! I get to be Ron's temporary g/f! I love Ron sooo much! Aww he's so cute!


	7. Chapter Seven: Telling Hermione

==*Racing Time*==

(A/N) Okay I know I haven't been very up to date with everything, but I'm trying to do my best while still being punished, keeping up my grades, my B/F, Chris (so cute), and my family and friends. I'm feeling very stressed right now and I hope you can all forgive me. I'm really proud of this chapter and I hope you all like it. I went over it over and over again trying to add as much detail as possible and this is what I got. At first it was only like 4 or 5 pages of plot then I was like "no I can put more than this" and instead I got 8 pages. I'm happy with it and this is a pretty big chapter in the plot of the story. It's really exciting but there isn't very much to it. Anyway I enjoyed writing it so I think you'll like it too. I'll stop babbling now and let you read. Bye-bye for now!

~Love from Lizzie

(Disclaimer) Yada Yada Yada! You get it now right?

~*~

Chapter 7: Telling Hermione

Ginny and Seamus were dancing to another fast song a little closer than Hermione felt acceptable for two people who weren't even dating. She began to tap her foot impatiently under her, Harry, and Ron's table as Ron began to snore beside her. He had been aggravating her all evening and when she had told him to hush up, he fell onto the table into a deep sleep. _Great, _she thought to herself, _now that I need him he falls asleep on me. _She gave him a quick sharp shove and he snorted awake. He gazed around looking confused as Hermione sneaked a cautious glance at Harry to be sure he wasn't paying attention. He really didn't seem to need to hear this at the moment. He was looking depressed enough as it was. She was absolute sure she had seen him passing a few glances at Ginny during the night and was probably thinking the same thing that had crossed her mind more than once.

"Ron, look at those two over there and tell me what you think." Hermione whispered pointing at Ginny and Seamus grinding with the music.

Ron looked about foolishly in every which direction before asking, "What those two fat guys over at the food table?"

"No!" Hermione seethed, irritably rolling her eyes. How could he be so thick? "I mean your sister and Seamus."

Ron squinted his eyes and looked into the crowd before shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders. "Yeah, they're dancing. So what?"

Hermione looked taken aback by his lack of concern and huffed in resentment. She had certainly expected him to blow up but not say that. It must have been the whiskey going to his head. She had told Fred and George time and time again...

"Just forget it, Ron." she snapped crossing her arms testily. It was no use anymore.

"Oh come on, babe. We dance like that too, so what's the difference?" Ron shrugged taking another sip of Firewhiskey from his glass. Hermione jerked it from his grip and threw it into a nearby trashcan. Ron gazed at her opened mouthed.

"Would you please stop drinking that rubbish! You're messed up enough as it is." Hermione begged her eyes red near tears of worry, anger, and agitation. Did he have to be so irresponsible? He was going to end up out of a job if he didn't cut it out. She was pretty sure they didn't allow alcoholics into a Quidditch tem.

"Hey, I didn't finish that!" Ron yelled thickly.

Hermione threw her hands into the air and stood up from the table. "Fine, Ron! Fine! If you're not going to take care of you're own sister then I guess I'll have to!" Why is it that she always ended up having to fend for herself? She looked down at his red glassy eyes and empty expression. She reached into her purse and dug out a pill caplet. 

"Here." she said angrily. "Take this now! It should take away the effects of the alcohol. And I swear, Ron, I'm not speaking to you again until you've straightened yourself out." She threw it down in his face and with that, she turned on her foot and took off in a ranting march over to Ginny and Seamus.

~*~

Ginny could feel the heat coming off her and Seamus. She kept moving against him bringing herself closer and closer to him by the second ever the while continuously glancing at Harry sitting next to Ron. She wanted him to hurt like he hurt her. All anger and avengement was seeping through her veins, pumping blood rapidly to her heart making her move and dance even faster.

She took Seamus's hands and placed them on her hips as she brushed herself against him. She ran her hands through his hair and looked to see if Harry had been watching. Sure enough, out of the corner of her eyes. She could very clearly see him gazing at her longingly and evil seemed to flicker in her brown eyes. She wanted him to hurt more than anything else. All the pain he had given her came back to the surface and she was seething with fury. Everything he had done to her was flashing before her mind like a movie picture bringing anger seeping to her skin and fury burning on her face. 

She ran her hands down Seamus's neck and she could feel him tense up just like she had expected. Just the thought of his feelings for her burning like nothing else and the fact that she wanted nothing to do with him at all made her smile. Something about the fact that she was hurting him in a way Harry did her brought her satisfaction of revenge. Ginny lifted her lips till they were right next to Seamus' ear and whispered into it softly, "I want you."

She pulled him towards her and locked him in a deep kiss. She roughly pushed herself onto him letting him feel his way up her back. She pushed him against the wall and their kiss intensified. Seamus was beginning to thoroughly enjoy it and pulled her into the corner opposite the band still kissing her all the while. He hadn't expected this from her. He had just wanted to be friends but this was way better. This is what he had always wanted.

Ginny opened her eyes and saw Harry storming through one of the side doors as a familiar cold and evil laugh rang in her ears. Yet this time it didn't frighten her; it pleasured her and urged her to keep going. She pulled Seamus closer to her making their kiss deeper and harder and more intense than she had ever kissed anyone except for Harry. And yet she didn't feel the same way; it had no meaning, no value the way it had with Harry. It meant nothing to her. All of this, Harry's pain-filled face, Seamus's misleading, it all made the laughter in her head grow louder and louder and then...

It stopped.

A strong grip was on her upper-arm and it dragged her away from the wall, out into the crowd and through the side door, opposite the one Harry had just went through. She tried with all her might to break free of the strong grip that held her tight from escaping, but she couldn't get the hand off it held tight and purposed where it was before. It flung her outside and it almost caused her to fall all the way to the ground. He purse flew out of her hands and she came face to face with Hermione's stern, hard expression.

"Bloody hell, Ginny! What do you think you are doing?!" Hermione asked in total and complete shock at Ginny's horrid behavior.

"What's it to you?" Ginny muttered under her breath, crossing her arms across her chest. Why did she care so much? What was it to her, really? Why should she care? It's not like she hadn't seen she and Ron snogging on the couch practically on top of each other. What was the difference?

Hermione stared at her opened mouthed with disbelief. What was getting in to her? Never before had she ever even attempted to behave this way and now she was acting like it didn't even bother her at all.

"Gin, I'm supposed to be your friend. I saw you in there, and I swear, I never would have expected that from you! You've never acted like this before. Then, all of a sudden, you turn around and you are grinding against a guy you haven't even spoken to for nearly 3 years, are having a huge make-out fest in the middle of your brother's wedding reception, and let him feel you up in a corner! What's up with you lately? You've been acting strange around everyone. First you practically yell at me for trying to look at a book, you've been sleep walking every night, you've been spending a lot of time alone in you're room and hardly ever even talk to anyone during the day, and now you're doing this! What's the matter, Ginny? Whatever it is, I'll do all that I can to help you." Hermione's eyes brimmed with tears. Her night couldn't have gotten any worse. First Harry, then Ron, and now Ginny. She felt so pressured sometimes yet she knew she shouldn't. It was as if everyone's stress had somehow transported itself onto her stress and she felt like she was suffocating under the weight of it all.

Ginny's heart melted and all at once, everything clicked back into her brain in one huge wave. Dancing with Seamus, kissing him, Harry's horrified face, Seamus's hands running down her back. Her mind spun around faster than she could control it, and she began to feel nauseous at the very thought of herself and Seamus together. She let herself fall back against a nearby tree and slid down it until she was sitting on the ground. She covered her mouth to help her stomach settle and tears started to fall down her cheeks. She felt the guilt swell in her stomach like a hot air balloon. Inside her head, her conscience was cursing her out and she was screaming at the top of her lungs. She felt as if she had done something horribly wrong and technically, she couldn't deny that she didn't. 

Hermione walked over and hugged Ginny tight against herself as Ginny's frail body shook violently in her arms. She couldn't bare the pity it was too much for her to bare. She just wanted to run away and cry. She couldn't take the pressure of other people's sympathy right now. She just didn't feel like she deserved it. It was Harry who needed the comforting and attention, not her. Ginny pulled away from Hermione's arms. She scooted away from her and dried her eyes with the back of her hand as she sniffled back tears. She had to tell her now; she had to tell anybody, anyone who would listen, before it was too late. 

"Hermione, I need to tell you something, but you have to swear not to tell anyone, not even Ron."

Hermione nodded and tilted her head to show rapt attention as Ginny bit her lip like she had done not so much earlier.

"You remember the other day when I had found that cabinet behind my bookshelf?"

Hermione nodded.

"Well that wasn't all that I found."

Ginny gulped loudly and ran her hands nervously through her hair before starting again.

"You see I found this emblem of a silver serpent, sort of like the one's on the doorknobs at Grimald Place, and a journal, Regulus Black's journal." Hermione's eyes widened in shock and she gazed at Ginny more intently than ever before.

Ginny went on to explain about her horrible urge to read the journal, her manic run away from her mum so that she could be with the journal, the same day she had yelled at her, and what the journal had said about the Heroine of Darkness. All the while Hermione hadn't blinked once.

All the stress Ginny had felt that last week had finally burst free from her heart and her tears spilt to the ground once more as she rose shakily to her feet. She picked her purse off the ground where she had dropped it when Hermione had threw her and pulled out Black's journal for Hermione to see.

"From then on, I couldn't keep it out of my sight. What if she wants it, Hermione! What if the Heroine is looking for it right now!" Ginny stammered through her tears. Hermione bit her bottom lip in concentration then got up slowly and carefully made her towards Ginny.

"Ginny, I don't want to say this, but I think this journal is possessing you." Hermione said brushing off the back of her dress. 

Ginny looked at her curiously. What was this girl talking about? She would know if someone or something was possessing her. After all hadn't she been possessed before. She would know how it felt. Something about Hermione's strange eagerness for the journal made her very aware of the fact that the Heroine could be anyone. 

"N-no it not!" Ginny stuttered bewildered. "I-I-I mean, I would know if it was!"

"Gin, I really think it is. I read a book about them after Riddle had possessed you and this is what had happened last time someone possessed you. Just give me the book and I'll keep it safe for you." Hermione said walking towards her with her hand outstretched. Ginny looked at Hermione's hands like it was holding a gun. How could someone be able to write down what being possessed felt like. Even she couldn't describe it much less write a book about it. How could what Hermione was saying be true? Was she, perhaps, lying?

"Get away from me!" Ginny shrieked holding the journal tightly to her chest. She wasn't going to let her have it no matter what. She just couldn't trust her or anyone as a matter of fact.

"Ginny, please. Just give me the journal." Hermione pleaded taking another step closer.

She was getting a little too close by Ginny's standard.

"STAY AWAY!" Ginny yelled and pulled her wand from her dress. If she wouldn't back away Ginny would force her away if she had too.

"Ginny, I-"

"Avada Keedavra!!!"

A flash of green light hit Hermione square in the chest. Ginny watched in disbelief as Hermione's eyes rolled back in her head and she fell slowly to the ground as if she were fainting in slow motion. She looked at her lying there with her eyes shut tight and felt the reality hit her with a sudden blow to her heart. What had she just done? Without even thinking, Ginny ran with all the power she possessed in her small body to the opposite side of the building as fast as her legs would carry her, never once looking back at the horror in which she had left behind.

~*~

(A/N) Okay first of all before anyone deserts the fic because of Hermione, she is NOT dead! She just really really hurt. After all Ginny hasn't practiced the Dark Arts, so she couldn't have possibly killed her. Just wanted to let you know before you stopped reading this fic all together. R&R guys!!

(Discussion topic of the day) Draco and Ginny fics. Discuss.

(Quote of the day) 

~Someday your Prince Charming will come. Mine took a wrong turn, got lost, and is too stubborn to ask for directions.

(Summary of ch.8) This is the chapter that determines the fate of Hermione. Dun. Dun. Dun. See what happens.

(Thanx)

~cristen- Okay so I guess you understand what's happening now right? Cuz that's all I could make out from your review. Thanks for reading.

~RussellGrl15- Well I guess you're right about the review thing. I guess I'm just a very picky typed person. You know what I mean right? I just like the fact of getting tons of reviews, but I guess it is better if they are actually "from the heart". Now you are not alone in sounding like a teacher. LOL. Oh by the way that review was definitely long enough. Well anyway, I'm glad you liked the chappie and I hope you liked this one. By the way, I tried to put as much detail in this one as possible too. Tell me what you think.

~Katrina- I totally agree. I hate having Harry and Ginny apart and Ginny being so mean, but yeah they will make up in the end and it's going to be so sweet and even kinda sad in a way. I can't tell you if Ginny is the Heroine because that would give away the surprise, but maybe by the end of this chappie you might have changed your mind on who you think it might be? Or maybe you should... Hmm... Think about it. 

~marg- Thanx for reviewing. I know I feel the same way, but I can't assure you that nothing will happen to Ginny. After all this is a mystery story. I have to be all mysterious and crap even though I want to shout out the fricken answer at the top of my lungs! Damn stupid rules! Oh and yes, Voldemort is very evil! I hate him too.

~VoicezWithin- Hehe. The first time I read your review I started laughing. You were like flipping out because it was freaky, but didn't you realize this was a mystery/adventure/romance fic. Duh ofcourse it will be freaky. LOL! Oh yes and I definitely think that Seamus is hot! He is very sexy in my opinion. My second candidate for Ginny if she isn't w/ Harry. Oh and I guess you found out weither or not Hermione's worry for Ginny did pan out to be good or bad. But do you still hold true to your opinion on who the Heroine is? *wink wink*

~xzaire- I guess I've answered your question on weither or not Ginny is being possessed. But did you ever wonder if she was actually being possessed for the reason you believed it to be? Could it be perhaps something you might not be expecting? Hmm... Think about it... Anywho, I hope you enjoyed Ron's drunkenness in this chapter. I thought it was actually really funny. Tell me what ya think. 

~jac- Seamus is HOT! He is awesomely awesome! But yeah it is sad that Harry is hurt. I guess you can say that it's a very 'interesting' moment.


	8. Chapter Eight: Tired Of Pretending

==*Racing Time*==

(A/N) OMG I can't believe I didn't post the Author's Note before! I feel so retorted!! AHH! I went back to print my chapter and I realized I had forgotten! Sorry guys! Well I hope you like this chappie. And I also hope I get more reviews than last time. I only got four for my last chapter. L . Well maybe I'll get more for this one. Until next time…

~Love from Lizzie

(Disclaimer) Nope none of this is mine except the story plot and crap. Even the song isn't mine. Damn it!

~*~

Chapter 8: Can't Keep Pretending

Ginny didn't look back, she couldn't look back. All she was able to do was run, and run she did. Her feet were pounding on the ground hard as she ran with all her might. All she knew was that she had to get away, away from the horror she left behind. What had come over her to make her do that? What had happened to make her attack someone, one of her best friends? Tears started to fall down her cheeks as she thought about Hermione's cold blank face as she lay silently on the ground. _She_ had done that to her. She, Ginny Weasley had just cursed one of her best friends, Hermione Granger, because she was trying to help her with her problems. But then again Hermione was acting strange. Was _she_ maybe...

But no! No of course not! Not Hermione! 

...Right?

Before she could think on the subject any longer, a dark figure stepped out of nowhere and Ginny ran head long into them, whoever _they_ were. The impact threw her off balance and she fell to the ground clutching her side where she was struck. 

Ginny sat up rubbed the back of her neck and came face to face with the very person she least likely wanted to see at that moment. He was sitting there gazing at her with questioning emerald green eyes not turning away from her for one second.

"Harry!" Ginny wheezed trying to catch her breath. "You- have- to- help. 'Mione- been- hurt." she managed to say between deep breaths.

"Hermione?" Harry said looking frightened as well as flustered. He began to look panicked and began to stumble horribly in his words. "W-Where i-is she?"

Ginny stumbled to her feet trying to ignore the sharp pain in her side as she pulled Harry to his feet. She kept a firm grip on his arm and pulled him roughly to the place she had just left. The place she actually dreaded to return to. She didn't want to have to look at Hermione's face again, not after she knew that it was she who did it to her.

"Ginny, what happened?" Harry huffed trying to keep up with Ginny's fast pace. "Is she alright?" 

Ginny took larger strides forward and continued to remain silent. She really didn't want to think about the answer to either one of those questions right now. She just wanted to get him over to her and leave as quickly as possible. She'd never be able to let anyone know what exactly had happened, that she had cursed Hermione. If anyone ever found out she had done it, she'd surely be expelled from Hogwarts and maybe even sentenced to Azkaban. Would they keep someone her age in there too?

And the second question that escaped Harry's lips burned a hole in Ginny's heart. Exactly how hurt was Hermione? She hadn't even paused to find out. Maybe she wasn't... She couldn't bare to say it even in her mind. It was too harsh a word to befall such an innocent person such as Hermione.

Ginny could just make out Hermione still lying on the ground in the exact spot where she had left her. Harry took sight of her too and threw himself down beside her limp body. Ginny froze on the sight of Hermione's face, expressionless and empty. She couldn't bare to look at her any longer. A chill crawled its way up and down Ginny's spine. She couldn't do this to herself she had to look at her she had to know if she really was gone.

She walked a few paces forward towards the lifeless Hermione and the panic-stricken Harry who was kneeling beside her. "Is she...alright?" She couldn't say it. It was too much to admit outloud.

Harry sighed relieved. "She's been knocked out, but I think she'll be okay." He muttered checking for Hermione's pulse again. Ginny felt the tension that had grown so rapidly in her chest loosen slightly, but only slightly. Now she had other problems to work out. What would Hermione tell them, tell everyone? What if she woke up and told Harry about what she had done, that it had been she who had tried a Unforgivable Curse on one of her best friends. 

"It could have been worse thought." Harry said looking a lot less fearful. "From the looks of this bruise on her head she could have suffered serious head injury. Let's hope she didn't." Harry looked up at Ginny suspiciously, with skeptically raised eyebrows.. "Do you know what happened? Did you see anything? Anything at all?"

She shook her head slowly side to side never once taking her eyes off of Hermione. She was so lucky she was still alive. Just what might have happened if she _had_ been practicing the Dark Arts longer, even she didn't want to think about it. Ginny looked up at Harry again to find him looking at her still with a funny look in his eyes. He ran a nervous hand through his hair and looked down at the ground blushing furiously.

"I-I-I'll go get some help." Harry muttered sounding slightly infuriated at something then took off towards the reception hall.

Ginny knelt down by Hermione's side and held Hermione's hand in her own as tears swelled in her eyes. She had never meant to do that to her and now that she though about it, it sounded so selfless that she was worried about her consequences.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione." Ginny sobbed as tears of guilt spilled from her eyes onto Hermione's sparkling red dress. "I don't understand why I ever did that to you. I never would have tried to hurt you, but I couldn't control myself. Maybe you were right. Maybe I am being possessed. I'm so confused and now is the time I finally need you to help me, but you're not here. I'm so sorry Hermione. I don't know what I can do to repay you." Ginny hugged Hermione to her chest and let her tears fall on Hermione's shoulder.

"Well first of all could you please let go? You're kind of choking me." a voice said suddenly. Ginny gasped and dropped Hermione's head back to the ground as Hermione's chocolate brown eyes stared up at her own and a smile came across Hermione's face.

"Well, hello there." Hermione said cheerfully still smiling ever more.

"H-Her-Hermione?" Ginny stammered quite surprised. She gazed at Hermione questioningly and Hermione, surprisingly did the same.

"What?" Hermione asked her face scrunched up in concentration, looking quite bewildered. "What in the world is a Hermione?"

Ginny felt as if she were going to cry again. Hermione _had_ undoubtedly suffered form brain damage and it was all her fault.

"You're Hermione!" Ginny squeaked as tears started streaming down her cheeks just as she predicted. "That's your name! You're Hermione!

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed in utter surprise. "Oh, I'm Hermione! How silly of me to forget!" Hermione laughed out loud sitting up again and staring at her blankly. "So... who are you?"

Ginny broke out into sobbing tears pleading inwardly for her friends sanity. She managed to stammer, anyway, her name for the poor girl. "G-Ginny! M-My name's G-Ginny!" She held her face in her hands and let her tears break free once they were out of Hermione's sight. Hermione, strangely enough, began patting her awkwardly on the back and said in a whisper, "Look, Jennifer! Look at those strange people running towards us. I wonder what they're doing out here so late." 

Ginny looked up, still blurry eyed with tears, and saw Harry, Ron, and her mum and dad racing towards them across the black lawn from the reception hall as Ginny sat crying silently on the ground near Hermione who was waving at them as they approached.

Ron ran faster than the others and slid right next to Ginny grabbing Hermione in his arms and holding her tight. She patted him on the head like a little girl would a small puppy and he gazed at her skeptically. 

"Hermione, are you alright?" he asked her as Harry and the Weasleys caught up with him.

Hermione looked around aimlessly then realized at once he was addressing her and she jumped with surprise. "Oh you were talking to me weren't you? Oh yes I'm fine, but my friend Jennifer here has been crying for a while now. So who are you anyway? You must be her brother since you both have red hair and freckles." She said this all really quickly and Ron continued to stare at her utterly confused.

He shook his head rapidly. "Hermione?" her said gazing at her worriedly.

"Yes, that's my name! How'd you know that?" Hermione nodded smiling greatly. "It's very pretty, isn't it?"

Mrs. Weasley knelt down and put her hand to Hermione's head as if to check for a fever.

"She's lost her memory!" Ginny cried unexpectedly from off to the side. She had her arms wrapped tightly around her knees which were pulled up to her chest. Tears were still visibly sliding down her cheeks as they had been doing often that past week. "She can't remember ANYTHING!"

Ron looked from Hermione to Ginny and back again. He finally seemed to realize what was going on. "Hermione, it's me, Ron, your boyfriend. Don't you remember me at all?"

Hermione eyes squinted in concentration and she ran her hands through Ron's red hair. "I love your hair!" se squealed high pitched. "It's so... soft!" Ron shook his head in defeat and stood from the ground again, leaving Hermione sitting there, pouting as if she had just been denied a real treat.

"I think we should take her to St. Mungo's just in case there is any serious damage." Mr. Weasley said as Mrs. Weasley pulled Hermione to her feet. Ginny remained on the ground, peeping guiltily over her knees at everyone.

"Ginny, dear, aren't you going to come with us?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she patted her daughter lovingly on the back.

"Yeah it might be fun, Jennifer!" Hermione laughed excitedly.

Ginny watched Hermione jumping up and down with excitement sadly then shook her head. "No, I'm going to go home. I need to think for a bit."

Mrs. Weasley smiled at Ginny sadly, nodded then grabbed Hermione's hand and Disaparated to the hospital.

Mr. Weasley walked over and kissed Ginny lightly on her head and whispered in her ear. "Be careful when you Apparate and remember that we'll be waiting for you if you change your mind." then he too Disaparated.

Ron and Harry stood by Ginny staring awkwardly around themselves. Ron looked in a state of distress and kept pacing back and forth while Harry looked confused and in a state of disbelief. Before long Ron seemed to come to a conclusion within himself and stopped pacing but instead looked from Harry to Ginny each in turn. He opened his mouth to say something then shut it again quickly undoubtedly lost for words. He hung his head then bit his bottom lip in concentration lip.

"I'm going to go check on Hermione." Ron said suddenly and waved himself off before he too popped out of sight.

Harry sat down next to Ginny quietly and pulled at a piece of grass on the ground by his side. He looked at her through the corner of his eye and could see her long red hair fallen in her face. Just the sight of her twisted his stomach into knots and he felt like punching himself in the ribs.

Why did he keep doing this to himself? Why did he keeping pushing himself to her when he knew all she wanted was for him to go away? Why couldn't he just forget about her and move on with his life? 

He knew, of course, why, but never would he admit it out loud again. Hearing its finality would bring back all his pain of knowing he'd never have her again.

When he saw her there with Seamus about an hour ago he knew that she was over him and she'd always be able to find someone better than himself, someone who could love her like he couldn't. Someone who wasn't cursed to live the life of torture like he was forced to live every day of his life. The very same curse that made him give up the only person who ever made him feel like he was an actual person instead of a side-show circus act, like as if he were worth more than just a famous name.

But as he looked at her now, he wondered how much longer it would take before he exploded. He knew it wasn't far away. He couldn't do it any longer; he couldn't face the fact that he couldn't hold something that he loved so dearly as he did Ginny. It just wasn't fair. Harry knew in his heart why he tortured himself so much and he couldn't say it aloud, but in his mind it rung out so clearly, he loved her. Funny as it was, he just couldn't tell her, or anyone of that matter, that he loved her. He had to keep on pretending he didn't so that maybe by not admitting it to them it would ease his own pain, and he to may believe he truly was over her. 

But he was tired of pretending he didn't love her anymore. It was too much for him to hide. He was sure that every time he looked at her, the same look he always used to have on his face was shining like the sun; that same look he always had when she had held him in her arms. He couldn't tell himself it was over, he couldn't convince his heart that she was really gone. He knew that if he would finally admit it he'd die. She was a part of him that was so vital to his well being that he was sure if his heart had finally realized she wasn't there anymore he would actually die. And of course he'd never want that, not when he could still tell himself that it wasn't true and everyone was just playing a silly game with his head.

Harry looked at Ginny as she sat there hugging her knees. He could tell by the look on her face that she knew he was there too and she was trying at her best to pretend he wasn't; but he was done with pretending. He was finished with saying he didn't love her any more when he knew it in his heart he did with all his body and soul.

"Ginny." He whispered looking at her worriedly. She made no notion to even recognize that he was even there, but Harry pretended he didn't notice. "Listen, I understand that you don't have feelings for me anymore, but that doesn't mean you can't talk to me anymore. If you have anything you want to say, anything you need to tell me or anyone as a matter of fact, I'm here for you. And I don't care if you don't feel the same way, but I still love you, Gin."

Fury and obvious rage built in Ginny's face and she was soon as red as ever. She lifted up her hand and struck it hard against Harry's cheek. He winced with pain but still managed to smile a small shaken smile. She glared at him through her cold brown eyes that used to look at him with deep affection and it made Harry's smile turn upside down into a plagued yearning.

"Don't you EVER say that to me again, Harry James Potter! You NEVER loved me, and I will NEVER love you again as long as I live! Don't you EVER forget that!" She seethed through clenched jaws. She turned her entire body around away from him. He watched as her back began to shake, and Harry was almost positive that tears probably filled her eyes.

Harry stood up sadly and began to walk back to the hall.

"The offer is still open if you need me." Harry said in a low whisper as he trudged off. He could feel Ginny's eyes baring into his back but he couldn't make himself turn around and face her.

But he didn't care now what happened. The pain on the left side of his face meant nothing to him as long as he could finally say it with confidence out loud; he loved Ginny Weasley and he would love her forever, till the day he died and even afterward. He didn't have to pretend it wasn't there anymore, that he was finished with her because he knew for a fact it wasn't true. he had said it outloud and he'd say it again if he wanted. It didn't matter how many slaps across the face he'd have to bare in his life nor how many socks in the stomach he would get every time he saw her with someone else as long as he had that feeling he had every time he thought about her. His love for her was the only thing that kept him going and he wasn't about to give that up. He was tired of pretending... 

...And that was final.

~*~

**__**

ANYMORE

I can't hide the way I feel  
About you...  
Anymore  
  
I can't hold the hurt inside  
Keep the pain out of my eyes  
Anymore  
  
My tears no longer waiting  
My resistance ain't that strong  
My mind keeps recreating  
A life with you alone  
And I'm tired of pretending  
That I don't love you anymore  
  
Let me make one last appeal  
To show you how I feel  
About you...  
'Cause there's no one else I swear  
Holds a candle anywhere next to you  
  
My heart can't take the beating  
Not having you to hold  
A small voice keeps repeating  
Deep inside my soul  
It says "I can't keep pretending...  
I don't love you anymore."  
  
I've got to take the chance  
Or let it pass by  
If I expect to get on with my life  
  
My tears no longer waiting  
Oh, my resistance ain't that strong  
My mind keeps recreating  
A life with you alone  
And I'm tired of pretending  
I don't love you anymore  
Anymore...  
Anymore...

~*~

(A/N) WELL DON"T JUST SIT THERE! REVIEW!! Lol. Just joshin ya!

(Discussion topic of the day) If you could change the color of the sky what color would it be?

(Quote of the Day) 

~If you like me good for you, if you don't I don't give a f#%&

(Summary of Ch.9) Ron's getting upset over Hermione's condition, Hermione's asking for her mum, and Harry has another vision of Voldemort in his sleep. Pretty nice chappie.

(Thanx to the FOUR people who reviewed!)

~VoicezWithin- Okay okay just calm down and everything will be okay. LOL. First of all I pretty much knew that someone was gunna drop out because of the whole Hermione dying thing that's why I put it. I turly believe your fibbing when you said you wouldn't. Don't lie! LOL! I dropped a fic because of it too. I was reading this awesome story than all of a sudden they killed Ron! I closed the page right away and I swear I started crying! LOL! It's just so sad you know. I can't do that too Hermione. Come on! 

~RusselGrl15- I worked really hard on the last chapter. I'm so glad you liked it J ! Oh and I know! I'd NEVER grid against a boy with all of my family around. That's just disgusting! Ewww! But then again actually it depends on how hot the dude is. **wink wink** hehehe. Hope you liked the chapter!

~cristen- Holes is such an awesome show and Shia is so hot on it! Don't you think so? Yeah it was an 8 page write. It does go by quick when you read it though. Thanx for reviewing!

~xzaire- Well Ron doesn't exactly cry and he doesn't kill Ginny because he doesn't know it was her so I guess that works out that problem huh? Thanx for reviewing! J 


	9. Chapter Nine: Rob and Larry

==*Racing Time*==

(A/N) Hi everyone!! *waves hi at all the smiling happy people*. I hope you like this chapter. I know that by looking at the title of this chapter your thinking, "what the hell is wrong with this girl? Is she mad?" Well I'm not sorry to say. I'm just extremely stupid. LOL. Well I am! But anyway that's not the point. The point is that there is a reason to the title, and you'll see why. Actually there isn't really a very big reason I made it the title except to, well, confuse you. Hehe. Yeah I know I'm evil. But well I did think it was a funny title too so I decided it on that. Oh well, enough babbling. Now on with the chapter.

(Disclaimer) Once a wise man told me, "Hey! That's not yours!" And I realized...it wasn't.

~*~

Chapter 9: Rob and Larry

Harry Apparated into the hallway of Grimald Place a few hours after Hermione had been brought back from the hospital. He could hear Mrs. Weasley in the den apologizing to Bill and Fleur for the inconvenience of her and Mr. Weasley's exit and wishing them a good time for their Honeymoon.

Harry drifted up the stairs and down the hallway towards Hermione's room. As he passed by the open doorway of Ginny's room, he could clearly see her beautiful red hair fallen in her face and onto the pink book in her hands. She was writing furiously about a few things Harry was sure was on her mind, one in which he was sure about himself. He couldn't help, but stop and stare.

She still meant so much to him, and he just couldn't bare to let her go, at least not now. Not while this great feeling of loss, greater than that of Sirius' death, that was so new to him. Why did she have to hate him so much? If only she truly understood how much she actually meant to him everything would be alright, but she didn't. She hadn't slapped him for just any reason earlier on that night, she slapped him because she was infuriated with herself like he was at his own self. It was because they didn't truly understand what was going on inside themselves, or what was taking place inside their hearts. They wanted so badly just to let their love die, but deep down they knew it was all a lie. They wanted more than anything to be with the one they thought that they wanted to disappear. Harry had realized this and even admitted it to himself; he even had the red mark to prove it. But Ginny, being the red head she was, was being a bit stubborn about her feelings and instead took to violence instead of admitting it to herself. 

Harry would have given anything at that moment to be with her right then, laying beside her on that flowery bedspread as her beautiful red hair fell onto his shoulder. He gave her one last longing glance and then trudged unwillingly down the hall towards Hermione's new bedroom.

Mrs. Weasley had made up a bed just for Hermione in one of the spare rooms to sleep in for the night. The Healer had specifically asked for them to continue with their regular routines, but Mrs. Weasley objected and insisted still that they make up a bed for her in the guestroom for, "at least one night of peaceful rest".

At the end of the hall Harry peeked inside of the quiet room and spotted Ron sitting with his head in his hands by Hermione's side as she stared absentmindedly out the window with a stained, confused face as if she were trying to recall something.

Ron looked up at him sadly and smiled weakly as Harry came to sit beside him.

"Any luck?" Harry asked hopefully nodding in Hermione's direction.

"No." Ron muttered faintly. He shook his head pitifully and looked down at his feet. "I've tried everything, Harry. I've told her stories about our adventures, showed her some pictures of us at school, and I even read her some pages from Hogwarts a History. She didn't remember _anything_! Nothing! She's hopeless." Ron rubbed his hands wearily over his eyes and turned to look at Harry more seriously than he ever had before. "She's been asking about her mum, Harry. And I just don't have the heart to tell her the truth." Ron once more buried his face in his hands and Hermione turned to look at Harry awkwardly straining to remember something.

Harry turned his face away from Hermione, whose pitiful bewilderment was beginning to make him upset to look at. "It'll get better," he said. "The Healer said it was only acute amnesia and she should get her memory back any day now."

Ron sighed but continued to stare at the floor. "I know, but... it's just so hard. It's almost like she's not even there anymore. It just hurts so much to look into her eyes and know that she doesn't know who I am. She can't remember me, Harry. She doesn't know how much I love her and how much she loved me. I know she's there somewhere but I just can't see her. When I look at Hermione now, I don't see the same person anymore. She's gone. This new person came and took her place and she will never love me like Hermione did. Hermione's gone."

"She will come back, Ron! She will! You just have to wait for her to come back, but she will eventually! She will!"

Hermione was still staring at them from her bed with an odd look in her eyes, not taking in a single word of what they were saying.

"Larry?" Hermione said suddenly waking Harry from his worry for Ron.

Ron glanced at her from the corner of his eyes and Harry could almost feel the irritation radiating from his body. "It's Harry." he muttered under his breath. He closed his eyes and Harry could hear him slowly counting to ten, as if an extra precaution so he wouldn't spring up and attack Hermione when he didn't realize it.

"Oh, yes, Harry!" Hermione laughed awkwardly high-pitched. "Do you happen to know where my mother is, Harry? Rob here doesn't seem to want to tell me!"

Harry knew that was it. Ron was going to snap.

"IT'S RON!" Ron yelled as he stood up violently knocking his chair to the floor and across the room." You know what, I can't take this! I just can't take it! I'm leaving!" 

Hermione watched Ron storm out of the room and winced when the door slammed behind him and Harry jumped beside her. She frowned at the floor then looked up sadly at Harry with depressing brown eyes.

"I don't think he's coming back." Hermione said sounding upset. She looked at Harry deep in his eyes and Harry noticed her lip was beginning to tremble. "He loved me alot didn't he?" she asked gloomily. Harry could tell in her eyes that she was blaming herself.

"Yeah he did." Harry sighed as he sat down beside her on the bed. The bed springs creaked as he sat down and Hermione scooted over a bit for him to move closer. "But it's not your fault he's upset."

Hermione looked at him with a "yeah-right" look on her face and Harry couldn't help but laugh. "Well then, who's fault _is_ it?" she asked skeptically

Harry looked down curiously and back up at her with the same puzzled look. "I don't know, Hermione. After all, there wasn't anyone around when you were hit and I don't know of anyone who'd want to hurt you. There are some wizards looking for clues right now, but so far they haven't found anything."

"What about that red-haired girl? What's her name Jennifer."

"No it's Virginia, Ginny for short."

"Yeah her. She kept telling me she was sorry and stuff after I had woke up."

"Nah. You two were really close. She'd never do anything like that to you."

Hermione thought for a moment about the red haired girl who was always staring at her with that saddened guilty look and even if Harry didn't believe it, she felt with all her heart that something about that girl was wrong. She didn't know how but she had a strange feeling in her heart that something wasn't quite right.

A strange feeling that had come over her ever so often these past few hours came up again. It felt as if a large dark cloud was darkening her mind and she felt like she was spinning around in a circle, faster than she would have been able to do had she tried. Light flashed before her eyes and she felt like she was going to be sick if the spinning didn't stop. A movie screen came in front of her eyes and, just like on a movie, came an image. A red-haired girl was sitting on a bed hugging a black teddy bear with glasses. Then came a scene where a black haired boy and the same red-haired girl behind the bed in which she and a red-haired boy sat.

"You-You love her don't you? Ginny?" Hermione asked looking at him curiously.

Harry whipped his head around to her again and looked at her bedazzled. "How... How did you know that?" Harry asked still gazing at her suspiciously.

Hermione shook her head toward off the headache that came zooming into her mind a few seconds after each one. "I dunno. I-I-I had a flashback or... or something. But my head really hurts now. Can you hand me that bottle."

Harry reached for the brown glass bottle labeled "Aspirin Potion" on Hermione's bedside table and watched as she downed the whole thing in one huge gulp. But now he looked at her with hope. She'd be getting better soon. He was sure about that now. She was having memories come back to her now and soon enough she'll have it completely returned to her.

How he wished he didn't have to remember whom he was or how much pain he was suffering right now. He knew he shouldn't and he felt like slapping himself at the moment just for thinking about it, but secretly he almost wished that he was in Hermione's shoes right now, just so he could forget about... everything.

Harry looked at Hermione and felt guilty about even pondering it. He knew how hard it must be not to remember who familiar faces were and couldn't even remember the simplest of things. He looked at her and felt sick of himself.

"I'm going to bed," he said mainly to himself before he stormed out of the room leaving a very bewildered Hermione calling out his name. He didn't even notice Ron crying silently on the side of his bed when he pulled his sheets over his head and forced himself into sleep.

~*~

_A dark room sat a tall thin man in a high-backed wooden chair. The lanterns that hung low illuminated the room to reveal a small dumpy man at the tall man's feet quivering with fear. He appeared to be a fairly young man, but he clearly looked alot older than he was. His shiny brownish gray hair was thinning and he was actually bald at the very back. His face was mousy yet full of early wrinkles. His left hand was made of purified metal, yet it appeared as if he were only wearing a silver glove of some kind._

The small mousy man shivered as the man seated in the chair placed a cold slender hand upon his shoulder. 

__

"Wormtail, I understand you have some...interesting news to tell me," the first man said in a cold wheezing, yet strangely high-pitched voice.

The man called Wormtail nodded frantically and bowed his head low to where his nose brushed against the floor. "Yes, My Lord!" Wormtail stammered happily. "Very good indeed, I must imply."

"I see." the first man said smiling a frightening smile full of long pointed teeth. "Continue."

"Well I have been informed by the Seer, Lastrange, that the first part of your plan has begun. **She **is to be awakening, and **she **is to come to us before midnight at this week's end.

The man seated gave out a loud bone-chilling laugh. Even Wormtail shuttered at the godforsaken sound. No normal human being would have been able to mimic such a laugh properly. It was such a laugh to raise every hair on your body and the dead from their rest.

"Excellent, my faithful servant. You have made me proud. Tell Lastrange that she is too be rewarded greatly for such viable information.

"Now on to bigger and better things. The Orb. Where is it being kept and how is its well-being."

Wormtail began to twitch on the ground with excitement. "Oh the Orb! The Orb, My Lord, is being kept in its same residing place and by the looks of it, all is well on the informing of its whereabouts. The only three who know where it is are you, My Lord, me, and Regulus Black. And as you may know, only two of the three are living."

"It better stay the three of us or the ratio of those living will be dropped! Do you understand me, Wormtail?!"

Wormtail quivered with fear. "Y-y-yes, My Lord. I d-d-o understand." he stammered kissing the man's feet. "I understand perfectly"

"Good," the man said sitting back comfortably in his wooden chair as he threaded his fingers together in his lap. "Because you understand the consequence to us all if it falls into the wrong hands, don't you?"

"Yes, My Lord. Every bit."

"Fine, because I could remind you a bit if you liked." He chuckled haughtily at his own form of a joke. "Go now, Wormtail! Go and fetch me Lastrange. I wish to reward her for her food deed to us."

"Y-Yes, Master!"

Wormtail scuttled out of the room as the man walked over to the nearby mirror hanging on the wall. He gazed into it to look upon a skeleton white sunken face, snakelike nostrils, and two ruby red eyes that shined that newly shattered blood. His cold piercing laugh rang in the air once more and Harry Potter, hundreds of miles away, fell out of his bed clutching his scar as pain filled his scar as pain filled his head like daggers in his skin.

~*~  
(A/N) Oooo. Creepy. well now that I've posted this chapter and you've read it, you have nothing left to do but review it. So go on ahead and review. There's nothing stopping you now.

(Discussion of the Day) I've got a new baby brother name Carlton John (CJ for short cuz the other way is just gross) That makes 2step sisters, 1 step brother 3 half sisters 1 real sister and now 1half brother. That's alot of kids!

(Quote of the Day)

~I can only please one person at a time. Today is not your day. Tomorrow doesn't look good either.

(Summary of Ch.10) Hermione has visions of her past and learns again of her mum's death. Then with Ron's sweet comforting she remembers her love for him. Just another sweet fluffy chapter staring the precious couple Ron and Hermione

(Thanx)

~xzaire- Well yeah! I can't make Ron mad at Hermione's illness forever! That's just wrong. Next chapter will bring some improvement into her mind. I promise though she will get it back all together and really soon too, but maybe she might regret wanting it back so bad. Oh now I got you confused huh? Oh this is so fun!

~XtinaMerilla- Well I guess the reason I write so well about them is cuz I love them so much! They are my MOST FAVORITE couple! Aww they're so sweet. Don't worry more R/H fluff should be coming up really soon. And you know what I'll even throw in a special surprise too if you review again.

~Gryphonmistress- Okay look I NEVER make a sad ending okay so you can relax. I hate reading or writing something that makes you cry and you can't end up smiling at the end. It's just not right. Sorry if I made you cry. Don't worry thought the ending will be really good and happy, I promise!

~ginny- Not exactly. Sure they all saw Ginny and Hermione run outside, but no one else was outside with them. Everyone was in the reception hall when she did the spell. Sorry 'bout the confusion. But I can't promise no more trouble for Ginny. Sorry

~cristen- Really I thought the sky should be pink too. It's such a pretty color. Ugh! I can't believe he didn't like Holes! That's so weird! Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. Can I have a nice long review this time?

~RussellGrl15- LOL! You're not the only one who thinks Hermione was hilarious! I loved that part I also thought it was funny so don't feel bad! Oh and as for Harry, when he broke up with her he WAS doing it for her. He didn't just want to break up he wanted to protect her.


	10. Chapter Ten: Sweetest Memory

==*Racing Time*==

(A/N)Well I finally updated and to my horrible sadness I've only gotten three reviews. I totally was expecting more than that and I'm still in depression for it. Do you WANT me to go into therapy? You must! You're all totally stressing me out! *sighs* Okay I'm alright now I just had to get that off my chest. Now that I've finished ranting go ahead and read. I won't stop you except with the disclaimer alright?

(Disclaimer) No I'm not JK Rowling… Damn it!

~*~

Chapter 10: Sweetest Memory

Hermione sat down on what was supposedly her old bed next to Ginny's where she used to sleep before she forgot everything. It had been a week since the accident and she still didn't seem to be making very much improvement. The best she had remembered had been Harry and Ginny's relationship and nothing more or less. Even though she had attempted just about everything to bring back some sort of memory that would maybe help her along, she would always fail. She just couldn't do it.

She looked around at the shabby tattered wallpaper peeling off the walls, the dusty old bookcases next to each of her and Ginny's beds, and the flattened feather pillows on each of their beds. Try as she may she made no recognition at all to anything. It felt so strange not being able to remember anything.

Hermione scooted over to the old wooden bedside table next to her and pulled out an old leather album lying on the bottom shelf. She had done this before, tried to look at albums, but they always just brought her to great frustration. Still in all as she went to open it he cover she said to herself in her mind, _It's always worth another shot_.

She opened the cover to the first page and looked down at the moving colored pictures. There it went again. She looked down at the first picture of herself and Ron sitting by a lake arm and arm and she couldn't even remember taking it. It's normal to look back at a photograph and think back at how much fun the day was and how much the people have grown since then, but when she looked at them she felt nothing. Nothing about this picture spark any kind of recollection whatsoever. He look at herself and not even see her there; she was never there so why should she be now. It was confusing even to her.

Growing frustrated, she turned the page to find she and Ginny embraced in a tight hug as they stood before a large towering castle in the distance. On the page opposite was a great giant man with a long dark beard and long scraggly hair. Both of his large hands were on each of Harry and Ron's shoulders both whom appeared close to collapsing under the weight.

Ron came in just then and dropped a pile of fresh sheets and blankets on Hermione's bed. He looked at her with cold blue eyes that were hard as steel. For some reason, she didn't understand he had been very cruel to her all this week, ever since she had gotten home from the hospital. She figured it had something to do with the fact that she wasn't behaving as she used to before and it angered him for some reason.

"Thanks," she said trying to appear genuinely sweet to him. She smiled up at him and in return, he just scowled at her, his usually friendly freckled face contorted with agitation.

She sighed as he turned for the door and she looked back down at the album in her hands. On it resided a picture of a small brown haired girl with pigtails next to a tall friendly looking woman with a sweet smile and long flowing curls that lay on her shoulders.

All of a sudden, Ron's movements slowed and the room around her began to spin rapidly. Her temples started throbbing and a bright blinding light flashed behind her eyes. She was sitting in a white room as her memories played before her like on a movie screen. 

She was sitting behind a large birthday cake with eight lighted candles. The beautiful woman beside her was begging her to make a wish. The light blinked and another screen flashed before her eyes. She was holding tight to her mother's arm as her father went to let a large brown tawny owl out of a nearby window after releasing a parchment envelope from it's talons. Another flash of light followed another scene. She was standing before a long black train crying into her mother's arms before she dragged her trunk towards the luggage compartment. Then the last image pressed into her mind clearer and more vivid than ever. She was sitting in a large circular office lined with pictures and shiny clicking objects as a tall bearded man sat before her staring at her seriously through diamond blue eyes hidden behind half-moon spectacles. Ron stood beside her his palm pressed hard against her own a scared and obviously worried look about her face. Then the man spoke.

_"I'm sorry to say…Mrs. Granger has passed away."_

Everything started to spin once more and the room came back into focus along with Ron who was still in the same place as he was before.

"Ron?" she cried out in a tiny sob.

Ron stopped dead in his tracks, but stared facing the door not making the slightest notion to turn around. "What?" he grumbled in an almost growl.

Hermione sniffled as tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Why didn't you tell me my mum was dead?" she sobbed as the tears started to flow so freely from her eyes in steady streams. 

Ron turned around sharply and caught a sharp stab in the heart at the saddened look in Hermione's eyes. His heart dropped into his stomach and he felt all of his self-pitied anger die away.

"Oh, Hermione, I'm so sorry!" Ron cried racing forward and scooped up her small shaking body into his arms.

Hermione took comfort in the boy's presence and wrapped her own arms about his neck. She could hardly remember anything about him at all, but at that moment, as he held her tight, close to his heart, she felt as if she had known him for always and eternity. Something inside of her told her that everything would be alright and she'd never have to worry about anything ever again as long as he never let go of her. All the pressure and tension that had resided in her heart had finally let go and now they fell as tears on Ron's shoulder and her cries of grief that filled the air.

Once more Hermione's body went ridged and numb and the room started to spin violently. Light flashed before her eyes and her grip on Ron's neck loosened slightly. She felt all of reality slip away from her and she was sliding endlessly into the blinding white light around her. She could faintly hear Ron's voice calling out her name before she was swallowed into her long forgotten memories.

She was sitting in a train compartment lined with scarlet leather seats. In front of her sat Ron who looked to be about eleven or twelve still freckly and smiling his face full of laughter and happiness. The light blinded her once more and she spun around outrageously in place more violently than she ever had before. When she jerked back in place she found herself holding tight to Ron's chest watching in horror as a limp body was carried away on a summoned stretcher and Harry was being led away to a far off castle by a man with a wooden leg and a face full of scars and disfigurements. She was thrown about vigorously once more jerking her head back and she was then sitting on a hospital bed crying into a white feather pillow as Ron awkwardly rubbed her back telling her everything would be alright. Then at once with a slightly less painful jerk she landed in a dormitory of some kind and found herself standing in the middle of a stick black potion on the floor. Ron was shaking her shoulders begging her to tell him if she had taken any. She shook her head slightly and he prayed in a whisper his thankfulness before pulling her to his chest. Then the last image came with barely a single jerk whatsoever and she found herself not in an unknown place she had never been before but instead in the den downstairs at Grimmauld Place. She could hear a familiar tune being played on a stereo in the back ground but she was paying no attention to it; instead she was focusing on the boy in her arms. She lifted her head from his chest and looked deep within his eyes. "_Don't ever leave me."_ She whispered with a pleading look on her face.

"_Why would I leave you when you're the only reason I stay?_" he whispered into her ear. She lay her head back onto his shoulder right before the light swam into her eyes once more. 

Hermione felt all the air escape her lungs as if she were a deflating balloon and she plunged headfirst into darkness. She fell forward gasping for breath and her heart throbbing in her ears. Her head was spinning all the way around and them Ron held her tight in his arms. She opened her eyes to gase upon Ron's beautiful sapphire blue ones. 

Everything spun back into place, but Hermione's brain continued to whirl. A large empty hole in her heart, she didn't even know was there to begin with, filled up again and a large part of her mind seemed to function once more. The emptiness in her heart swelled with hope, love, joy, and faith once more. 

"Hermione." He whispered gently and gazed at her still with a hint cautiousness in the sparkling blue. She felt all the rush disappear from her head and the throbbing melted from her mind. Instead she sat entranced at his loving eyes that she had been dying to stare into for what seemed and eternity.

Hermione couldn't take it anymore. She threw her arms around Ron's neck and kissed him deep and passionately. Ron's eyes grew wide with fright and utter shock. He pushed her off o him and looked at her skeptically as she looked at him in return with a dazed dreamy sort of look that Luna Lovegood herself could pass off as her own. 

"Bloody hell, Hermione! What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing?" Ron asked perplexed at her sudden change of attitude towards him. She continued to stare at him dreamily and couldn't seem to take her eyes away from him.

She smiled at him and ran her hands through his soft red hair. "You have no idea how much I missed not loving you," she said as tears of happiness rolled out of her beaming eyes.

Ron smile grew suddenly as comprehension drew suddenly in his face and realization in his mind. With his thumb, he wiped away a stray tear that had fallen onto her cheek and looked, as she had only a few seconds earlier, into the familiar chocolate brown eyes he had so yearned to look into for the longest of times. "Yes, I do." He said lightly his soft breath tickling her cheeks as his words rolled into her ears. 

They held each other close in their arms refusing to let go of what they had missed more than anything in the world and pulled each other into the deepest most passionate of kisses they had ever shared. 

_I may not be able to remember everything_, Hermione thought to herself. _But this is definitely a start_.

~*~

Ginny slowly closed the door behind herself as she stepped out into the hall once more. She dropped the load of sheets she was carrying next to the door to her and Hermione's room and walked slowly down the hall toward the stairs. He had just overheard everything Ron and Hermione were saying just now. She knew she shouldn't snoop, but she couldn't help but listen. From what she just overheard, she understood now that changes were about to be taking place in her life; drastic changes. 

Hermione was getting back her memory and fast and they would only get bigger. Sooner or later the secret would be out, the secret she had been keeping from everyone including herself for this past week. Now that she saw what was going on she had no choice but to do something about it. She'd have to run. 

She sat down at a desk in the den and pulled out a fresh piece of parchment from the drawers. She'd leave in the morning while everyone was still asleep. She couldn't run tonight though even if her parents would e staying the night at a Ministry meeting in Paris. She knew she could take chances with Ron and Hermione for surely they'd be up all night. No, she'd have to run the next morning after they had fallen asleep from exhaustion. 

She dipped her quill into a bottle of thick black ink and placed her quill tip to the paper. 

_To whom this may concern_, she wrote out nice and neatly at the heading. She had to fight back at the sudden urge to cry as she thought of what she was about o say.

__

I'm writing this letter for your benefit not my own. I wanted to let you know that I am not in any harm whatsoever, but I'm also not totally well. I have decided that I can no longer stay with you at Grimmauld Place because I feel that I may become the monster I had become on the night of Hermione's attack. If you're thinking that it was me who attacked Hermione you're on the right track. It was my own hand that used the Unforgivable curse on Hermione, but it wasn't my voice that came from my mouth. I don't know exactly who or what it was but all I know was that it wasn't my own. It would take up more paper than I could find in this drawer to explain all that happened to me the night of the attack, but I've decided to shorten it for you. You see I think I'm being possessed by someone or something, and I have no control of what it does to me. I cannot risk hurting another person I love any longer and that is why I have to go. I'm sorry if I scared you but I have no other choice. If I never speak to anyone again, I wish that you would please tell Harry that I still…

Ginny stopped mid-sentence and looked at the last line before scratching it out. She added her signature and folded up into quarters before pocketing it in her robes. Without a word or even a single tear, Ginny walked slowly up the stairs and disappeared into the shadows of the hall.

~*~

(A/N) Well that's it. Now review cuz there's nuthin let to do AND I won't update this fic until I get at least five reviews. Yep that's right. I refuse to update it until I get at least 5 reviews. If I don't get what I want you want get what you want. Simple as that. Hehe I love being evil.

(Quote of the Week) I used to be schizophrenic but we're better now J 

(Thanx to all THREE of my reviewers! I hope I have more next time *wink wink*)

~cristen-Thanx for the long review! Congrats you made the longest one out of my 3 reviews! Can you imagine? Only 3! Where did I go wrong? I must agree poor Harry. I know how it feels to love someone and not have them love you back. It hurts, and in fact I did that to myself not that long ago, before I met my own Ron, Chris! He's so awesome and I've totally forgotten about the other dude who will, in fact, remain nameless. Oh and about your guess I suppose you'll 

~xzaire-Well I guess I solved your question on weither or not she'd be getting her memory back huh? She hasn't gotten it all back but she does remember Ron and I think that's a BIG part of her life along with her mum's death. Oh and about my brother, he's so cute but yes it is a big hassle at changing his diaper. Ugh it's SO gross!

~RussellGrl15- Have a good time on your trip! I hope you have fun! Sorry I couldn't update this before you left but it will still be here when you get back. Promise. Hehe. 


	11. Chapter Eleven: A Midnight Strole

==*Racing Time*==

(A/N)Well at first I was about to give up on getting any reviews at all except for cristen's. I'm so thankful now for the three reviews I've gotten though. Thank you all SO much. I shouldn't have taken your reviews for granite and now that I know what it feels like to go with a week and a half and only one review I will NEVER ask for a specific amount of reviews again. Promise. Okay enough gibbering, on to the story.

(Disclaimer) None of the characters in this fic nor the setting of Grimmauld Place are mine. But guess what? I do own some things. Take a guess at what they are.

~*~

(IMPORTANT REMINDER!!) The premier of HP&SS on cable television will be followed by an interview with Daniel Radcliff, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, and a short preview of PoA! You cannot miss it!!!! It will take place on May 9th on ABC! I repeat YOU CANNOT MISS IT!!!!!!!!

Chapter 11: A Midnight Stroll

Ginny woke up late on the night of July 30, but tried her best to keep her eyes tightly shut. Her throat was burning with thirst yet her eyes kept fighting to keep themselves closed for as long as possible. Eventually her throbbing throat won over her eyes and she slowly opened them reluctantly from their yearning sleep.

What she found when her eyes came back into focus made her heart drop into her stomach? The surprise of herself sitting alone on the couch in the den in the middle of the night at first gave her quite a shock. Then the realization of her sleep walking habits brought her bullet fast heart pacing back down to normal. She breathed deeply trying to regulate her breaths once more.

The fireplace before her was crackling merrily and deep within the embers was an oddly shaped log. After staring at it a few seconds, she realized in fact it wasn't a log at all, but a thick leather journal in the midst of it; the journal she had threw inside of the flames a few hours earlier, the very same journal that had caused her so much pain and terror. The flames licked at its sides and whipped around it dancing merrily inside the grate devouring every page of the evil book. 

A loud hard chime erupted from the old grandfather clock on the other side of the room. She whipped her head around and looked at its face. Eleven o'clock, she hadn't been asleep for very long then, maybe two hours at the most. But as the eleventh strike subsided and the dust that had bellowed from the frame with ever strike gently fell onto the hard wooden planks of wood at it's base, the floor shook violently one last time. Then without any conscience effort, a smile crept across Ginny's lips. Without even trying, she stood from the couch and began to walk herself out of the door into the long hall just outside it.

What was going on? How was she moving without controlling herself? Was she still perhaps dreaming and was sleepwalking again? Or maybe she had gotten so stressed over running away that she was now able to sleep walk ever while she was awake? Was that even possible? She let her legs carry herself into the hallway just outside the door and down the rickety old steps that led down into the basement kitchen. Try as she may to pull herself backwards up those steps, back up to where she knew what she was doing, she couldn't; her legs would fight back so powerfully she had no choice but to follow what they said. She had no more control, at all, whatsoever, over her body.

Standing before the pale blue cupboard that held all of the pots and pan that Mrs. Weasley owned, her thumb in her right and ran itself over a rough cold surface of the object in her clutches. Without even glancing down (not that she was actually able to), she knew what that object was that sent chills down her spine and a small tingle in her skin. Curled up as if ready to strike, its fanged mouth opened threateningly, sat the silver serpent emblem in her very grasp.

Without even realizing it, with the only hand unoccupied, she pushed with ease the large, heavy wooden cupboard out of her way with the gentle shove from her hand, something she'd have never been able to accomplish had she been in her right mind.

After the cupboard was carefully placed beside the stove, she stood back to look at what she had accomplished. There before her where there should have been stone clod wall like what surrounded the entire room, was in fact none. Instead stood a large heavily planked door that reached from ceiling to floor. It reminded her much of a barn door or the cellar door back at the Burrow, except of course, for a specific difference; there was no doorknob. In it's place was instead an indention; an indention shaped exactly like a curled up snake.

Her hand reached forward, no matter how hard she tried to pull it back, and in the indention, it placed the emblem. As soon at her hand released it she had almost expected the door to maybe explode or some sort of blinding white light to emancipate itself through the cracks around the doorframe. But it didn't. It remained totally stationary and as dark as before. Her hand reached out again and she turned it just as she would a normal doorknob and pushed the door open so that it banged hard against the wall inside. As she was wondering what the chamber would infact contain, her foot stepped inside the cold pitch-black room. Her footfalls echoed loudly against the stone walls, much like the one's in the kitchen, that were only visible from the light she had forgotten to turn off when she left the other room. Her body twirled in a circle her nightdress twisting around her as if hugging itself to her as she tried her best to stare through the darkness. The she stood smiling greatly at the doorframe she had left behind and a large streak of green light flew through the darkness and hit the door hard making it slam shut in a quick instance. 

All at once all control returned to Ginny's body and she immediately started to tremble with fear, her legs made of jelly. She took off in a panicking, impetuous sprint in the direction she had just seen the light disappear knowing it was her only way out. Something was waiting for her in the darkness and if she wanted to stay away from them, she'd have to get out NOW. 

Ginny ran around blindly with her hands outstretched and yet as far and as fast as she ran she felt nothing. She tried to grasp at something for her to hold onto but found nothing but air. She realized that she was running as fast as she could into total and complete darkness and no way to escape from it.

She began to trip and stumble on the loose dislodged stones that littered the floor, but no matter what she kept running. She didn't care how big a chance she had of actually escaping the darkness but she knew her chances wouldn't be any better if she just stopped and let whoever it was hiding in the dark find her sitting there. She wouldn't back down without a fight. No. She was a Weasley. And no Weasley ever went down without a fight. No, the only way out was to keep running. Maybe by some chance she'd hit a wall or even better a door. She ran around in circles not knowing where she might be headed. The only thing to guide her was hope.

Then all of a sudden, by mere chance, she saw it. A small white light flashed quite dimly in a far distance corner. Ginny ran with all the strength left within her from her terrible lack of sleep towards the small speck of light. She knew that somehow the hope that was in her had somehow brought this light to her; it was only her hopes that had brought this saving light to her. She felt her heart jump with joy at the thought of going home. She felt in her heart that only when she reached that light she'd finally be safe. She knew that that light was the only way for her to finally get home, otherwise she'd be running eternally into the never-ending darkness that filled her eyes, her heart, and her mind.

She ran fast and faster with each following stride towards her hope gaining more and more speed with each step she took. Yet, it made it harder and harder to breathe from such force. She felt her lungs were about to throw themselves out of her chest when she stopped.

There it was in front of her, a small ball of light suspended in air no bigger than that of a golf ball. Had she grabbed it up it would have fit perfectly in the palm of her hand. She gazed at it for a few seconds that to her felt like eternity and then gently touched the ball of light with her fingers. It was cold. Then in a huge blow to her stomach realization ht her hard in her heart. It was just a ball. A tiny ball of light is what she had used all her time and energy to reach and now that she had, she had no use for it. Tears burned in her eyes and fell into her cheeks in a wave of pain. She slid down onto her knees and sat in a small slump on the floor bawling her eyes out. Never had she ever felt so disappointed. Her last stand of hope had failed her and turned into a useless ball of light. She pulled her knees up to her chest as her tears continued to fall and she never once thought of getting up again. What was the point?

Just behind her back, what she didn't realize was that the figure that had been following her had finally caught up and stood behind her now smiling a deathly cold grin that froze your very soul or much like a frozen ice cube sliding down one's back.

"Is poor Ms. Weasley disappointed?" the cold voice rang out into the air. Ginny threw her head up and for a split second her sobs ceased. What she saw was that the room was suddenly getting lighter and the ball of light had mysteriously disappeared.

"_Lumos_!" the voiced shouted into the dark. Ginny squeaked like a mouse at what she found before herself and her heart immediately sunk to the floor. She jumped to her feet but stood quite still once more, too terrified to even speak or move. She stood there as solitary as a statue her eyes transfixed to the sight before her and her mouth opened in a fatally silent scream horror. There before her stood Voldemort himself and about 50 other cloaked figures about him in the semidarkness. More mutters of the spells started to spread like wildfire around her and panic began to swell in her chest. She was breathing so hard and fast that she was sure if it would increase and more her chest would surely explode. She couldn't think anymore and not knowing what to do with herself any longer, she darted away from Voldemort's fierce stare but instead ran into some of the cloaked figures around her in every direction. The cam closer together trapping her in their midst. She fell into one figure's chest feeling the weight of exhaustion falling into her. The man just laughed and pushed her off of him back into the center of their circle back towards Voldemort. Ginny looked into each and every one of their evil laughing faces feeling the laughing growing louder in her ears like one giant hissing snake. Soon the only sound she could hear was the pulsating beats of her heart and her loud rasping breaths. She began to spin around in place hoping, praying for a way out but the figures were closing in on her blocking all the possible ways of escape, so that there was hardly any space between them at all. She was trapped.

"There's no way out now, Virginia," Voldemort's cold hoarse voice laughed out shrilly. "You've gotten to deep in to try to back out now."

Ginny stared at him hard and stern yet inside she was full of tears just begging to spring out, her very heart was trembling with fear, and her legs felt like they were wet noodles. As terrified as she actually was though she wouldn't let him see her cry and scream. She was going to go down brave, just like Lily and James Potter; she was going to go with pride and for the safety of Harry.

"You don't' scare me, Voldemort!" Ginny called out loud and strongly. Hearing that come from her lips, her very own lips, the Gryffindor spirit of bravery, courage, and loyalty swelled deep inside her chest like a hot air balloon. With the Weasley in her, the red hair on her head, and the pride in her heart, she knew she'd be fighting till the end.

A familiar hoarse cackle pervaded her ears until it was the only sound in the air. Ginny balled her fists and closed her eyes letting the horrifying sound flow through her head and squeeze the thoughts from her mind. She had to get it over with now. She couldn't bare the sound of his horrid voice corrupting her mind any longer. She had heard it long enough.

Ginny reached into her nightdress pocket where her wand was usually kept, but found it to be empty. Fear flooded her soul once more and the worst of her fears had finally become reality; she was standing in front of one of the most terrible wizards alive and she didn't even have her wand at hand. She was defenseless. 

"Oh, poor little Virginia, all alone and helpless in front of the big scary wizard without a wand. How typical of a foolish little girl," Voldemort said in a mockery whining voice. "Well don't you worry. We have a special surprise for you, Miss Virginia Weasley. That's right, I mean without you why else do you think Mr. Potter would want to come here? But with you around, why all that changes then doesn't it? So why waist a good thing? We aren't going to kill you. At least not yet, anyway."

His loud laugh pierced the air once again and Ginny trembled with fear. Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground in a pitiful heap of woe and grief.

Her mind was spinning around like mad and everything was starting to finally click into place. The journal, the emblem, the voices in her head, her anger and dislike to the very people she loved with all her heart. It all made since now. It had all been for a reason and now she understood. She was being possessed; Hermione was right. She had been tricked into reading the journal thereby awakening the Heroine. But it still wasn't over there. The only way for Voldemort to get Harry where he need was with her. He needed to posses her and build up his power to lead me hear tonight so that Harry could follow.

Harry had been right all along. He was right about everything. It was Voldemort's plan and he had succeeded in it too, and it was all her fault. If she just had listened to Harry, none of this would be happening. She was the one to lead him to his fate. She, Ginny Weasley, would be the one to lead him to his doom. She was the one he loved. If she had given his thoughts a chance, she would have known to be more careful. She never would have opened the cabinet, she never would have read that journal, and she never would have hurt Hermione, or Seamus, or even Harry. If she just had listened, she wouldn't be here now either…

…But she was. And now she'd never have a future. This was her end. All her plans for life had been torn to shreds in her face and she couldn't stop it. She'd never get married, she'd never have children, and she'd never live in her dream house in Italy. And perhaps worst of them all, never again would she be able to stare into those gorgeous emerald green eyes again. They were gone. Harry was gone. It was all gone. This was her fate.

Voldemort stared down into sad guilty face and yet the red sunken eyes remained just as cold, just as heartless as they ever were before. Never blinking, never moving, but remaining as still and hard as no normal man ever could have done at the innocent face of the red-haired girl.

He pulled out his wand and pointed it at Ginny whose heart took on a cessation unlike any other. She was going to die. She knew it.

"_Locomotor_!" he shouted at once and Ginny felt her heart drop before the sensation of herself being weightlessly lifted off the ground made confusion instead sink into her brain.

Floating about five feet above the ground, she tried with all her might to do something that would make her fall back down. She tried to move her hand but the wouldn't move. She tried to kick her legs but they wouldn't budge. She was left to be suspended in the air, controlled by the very flick of Voldemort's wand. 

He led her over to a heavy looking black curtain blocking what appeared to be a door or passageway ahead of her. He placed her standing before it but kept his bind to her as strong as before, refusing to break her from his power. Ginny stared intently at the black veil wondering what ever could be hiding behind that curtain just beyond her view. All sorts of images flashed before her mind before Voldemort finally spoke again.

"Ms. Weasley," he hissed with the first smile she had ever seen cross his lips, one that she very likely wasn't wishing to see again. "I give you the great pleasure of meeting the greatest Hero of our time and the sharer of the thrown of evil, the Heroine of Darkness. 

The black veil fell to the floor in a heavy slump and Ginny Weasley's deafening cry of horror filled the air.

~*~

(A/N) So what you think? I can't hear you if you're talking to the screen. No still can't hear you. No still can't hear you. What? No still can't hear you. Sorry if I sound like deaf or something but you can't expect me to hear you through the screen sorry. But what you can do it push the little gray button down there. Do you see it? It's a little gray button next to a drop down screen that says submit review. Just go ahead and click it and tell me what you think. I should be able to see everything you type in after that. Thanx bunches. Until next time…

~Love from Lizzie

(Thanx)

~cristen- Oh I was so relieved when you reviewed. I didn't think anyone would. You were the only reviewer for like an entire week. Thankfully two other people reviewed and I was so relieved. But it was your review that made me feel relieved that at least one person liked my fic. Thanx bunches for that.

~xzaire- Yeah I have seen Rupert Grint's long hair! He looks SO HOT!!! I saw it on a preview for well a preview of the PoA, an interview with Rupert, Daniel Radcliff, and Emma Watson, and the premier of SS on cable television! Ah I'm SO excited! Just incase you want to know it's May 9th on ABC!! I hope you watch it!!

~lindybindy- Oh I'm so happy you like it! J But really to waist all that paper on me? Do you realize how many trees were killed in the making of that paper?! Just joshing you. Lol! Keep reading and reviewing! 


	12. Chapter Twelve: The Heroine of Darkness

==*Racing Time*==

(A/N) Well here it is another chapter to the infamous Racing Time fanfic by me! I know you're going to try and scroll down to the end of this chapter in a minute to see if I'm lying or not, but either way I'm going to say it. Even thought this title of this chap. is "The Heroine of Darkness" that doesn't mean you are actually going to find out who she is on this chapter. I'm serious! Now, seriously, would I lie to you? Okay so maybe I would be you got to trust me. But if you want to waste your time go ahead, but for you people who believe me you made the right choice. Good for you. Cheers!

~Lizzie

(Disclaimer) Well no they aren't for me. Besides if they were Ron and Hermione would have got together a LONG time ago!

Chapter 12: The Heroine of Darkness

Harry woke up dripping in sweat and shaking with fear. He had her! Voldemort had Ginny! _It won't be long_. It made since now. He had been reading Harry's dreams all along. He had been planning it from the first time Harry dreamed about her. He had finally found the best way to bring Harry to himself, through his one true love, Ginny.

Harry threw the covers off of himself and ran over to the trunk that with held his old school clothes and his wand. He rummaged through it noisily, throwing books, clothes, and even his Firebolt, aside to find it. Why hadn't he just left it on his bedside table? Why'd he have to make things so complicated for himself? 

Ron snorted awake beside him from the noise Harry had created in his rush. He stared at him curiously rubbing his eyes vigorously as to be sure he wasn't only seeing things.

"Harry?" he muttered his voice cracking with sleepiness. Ron watched Harry curiously as he threw on one of his robes and grabbed his wand from the mess. "Where are you going? Is it morning already?" Ron asked still finding no solution to the darkness that filled the room and Harry's frantic behaviour. 

"It's Voldemort. He has Ginny." Harry said hastily. This seemed to wake Ron up. As Harry bolted for the door, he found himself barricaded by Ron's face in his own. 

"Ron get out my way," Harry growled through clenched jaws.

"Hold up. Where is this coming from? How could Voldemort have Ginny?" Ron said sounding terribly frightened by the look on Harry's face.

"Ron, get out of my way." Harry repeated a little more sternly and tried to shove Ron out of the way. But he wasn't planning on moving just yet, and Ron wasn't going to move unless Ron wanted to move. Ron in turn shoved him back and to his great surprise got another in return. Bad mistake. Ron grabbed Harry up by his shoulders and slammed him, hard, against the wall.

"Bloody hell!" Harry said looking deeply affronted. "What are you doing Ron?!"

"I care about Ginny too, but, Harry, right now is NOT a good time to be messing around! I need to know exactly how you found this out or I'm not letting you away from this wall!" Harry nodded his head hastily and Ron slowly lowered him back down to the floor.

"I had another dream," Harry whispered sounding almost out of breath from the shock. 

"Oh a _dream_ was it?" Ron said rolling his eyes sarcastically.

"Look Ron I'm not kidding. I know what I'm talking about. If you let me show you I'll prove I'm right."

"I'm not letting you out this room until you-''

"Fine! Then you'll just let her die if I AM right?" Harry yelled growing very impatient.

"FINE HARRY! YOU THINK YOU'RE SO SMART! WE'LL GO TO GINNY'S ROOM AND IF SHE'S NOT THERE I'LL HELP YOU FIND HER!" Ron yelled spit flying onto Harry's face. He threw his hands off of Ron's shoulders and backed away giving his room to go to the door again. 

After throwing on a cloak Ron ran after Harry, down the hall thinking to himself. What if what Harry said was true? What if Voldemort _did_ have Ginny? What would happen to her? And what would he do if something _did_? He'd never be able to live with himself again.

Just as they reached the door, Harry threw it open and started to yell out Ginny's name. Hermione woke up screaming in the bed beside Ginny's bare one. 

Ron could feel himself turn deathly pale and his blood turned to ice. She was gone. She really was gone. 

"Ron." Hermione squeaked as Harry searched through Ginny's bed-sheets for some type of answer. Ron shakily stumbled over to Hermione's bed as Harry darted back towards the door.

"She's not here. We'll have to go get her back." Harry said to himself before he left out the room slamming the door behind himself. Ron went to follow and then Hermione's soft voice called him back.

"Ron where are you going? What's going on?" she asked him in a whisper even though there was no one around to hear her. Ron looked at her eyes and sighed.

"It's Ginny. She's gone and me and Harry have to go after her. We think Voldemort might have her." Ron said quickly not looking away from her eyes. "I have to go. Harry's the only one who knows where she's at." He stood to leave and then was turned back around by Hermione's strong grasp.

"Ron, no, don't leave me. Take me with you," She begged looking up pleadingly in his eyes. Ron bit his lip and looked down at her lovingly. As he stared into those chocolate brown eyes he could see the love in them that always seemed to make them smile even if they were brimmed with tears. It had only so recently returned. He couldn't let it go again, not just yet, not now that he had finally got it back. He couldn't bare to see her hurt again. He loved her too much to let that happen to her again, when she was so close to returning to normal completely again.

"No, 'Mione. Just stay here. I lost you once and I'm not going to lose you again. Just whatever you do don't leave this room. Please? I love you too much." He bent down slowly and placed his lips softly on her hand, which was still holding on tightly to his own. "I'll come back to you soon. I promise."

Inside his head he wondered how true that really was, and if he'd ever actually make it back again…alive.

~*~

Hermione watched Ron run out the door, but knew that even if she _had_ promised, she'd never be able to fall asleep again. She grabbed her robe off the chair next to her bookshelf and slid outside the door to the banister outside her room. She watched Ron along with Harry disappear down the staircase that lead the basement kitchen. In her mind she prayed with all her heart that her would make it back to her. She didn't know what she'd do without him.

Besides who was Voldemort anyway? The name had some type of comprehension on her and it was at the tip of her tongue but she just couldn't grasp it. 

Hermione finally comprehending that Ron was gone from her sight and that she had a promise to him to keep she slowly drifted back inside her room. She just sat down on her bed and didn't even put her head down on the pillow to attempt to sleep knowing it would never come, at least not while she knew Ron wasn't okay.

Looking over at Ginny's bed she could practically feel the emptiness. She could sense it in the air that Ginny was no longer there. It actually was quite creepy not to look over the headboard of her bed and not see Ginny's cheerful face smiling back her shining red hair falling in her face and her soft brown eyes that seemed to laugh with glee. It was just so different and she had noticed she had been gone for no more than five minutes. It wasn't until she had started pacing the floor that she realised that Ginny's bed wasn't entirely empty. Sitting on the head of the bed was a book.

Hermione gazed curiously at it for a moment then walked over to Ginny's bed and picked up the small book. It turned out to be a journal of some sort. It was blackened with ash along with the outer part of the pages but on the middle of the cover read, plain as day, in bright gold letters, the name _Regulus Black_. Somehow it sounded so very familiar but she just couldn't remember who it was. Damn the retched memory loss! She sat down on Ginny's flowery bedspread and placed the book in her lap. She felt like she was doing something wrong by looking at it, but if it somehow helped them to find Ginny she'd have to. Was there really any other choice?

She flipped open the cover and read the first words that caught her eyes

**_ She is called the Heroine of Darkness and when the time is right, she will be woken and will lead us to defeat the boy and all of the unworthy Mudbloods and Muggles. That is why I must write this. To awaken the Heroine!_**

Oh might Heroine of Darkness, beseech your rightful place on the thrown of evil. You are our only hope at grasping the power that we deserve. Awaken and find the power that so belongs to you! Diminish the boy who stands in our way to victory for it is you and you alone who can stop him. Without you, we shall fail. Awake Heroine of Darkness and guide us to our victory!

Images flashed through her head at the speed of light. Voices of unseen faces streamed through her mind like steadily running water through her brain. Her head was spinning so fast she was beginning to feel sick. The room came to a sudden halt and Hermione collapsed on the floor after falling off of the bed. She had to steady her head with both of her hands to ward off or at least lower the pain pulsating through her brain. She could remember. She could remember again. Everything that had happened all of a sudden just clicked itself back into place in her mind. She could remember…everything!

Ginny! She had attacked her! And now she was pretty sure she knew why. But…hold up a second…

Her eyes filled wide with shock as realisation hit her hard. She breathed an utter cry before she slapped her hands over her mouth.

"Voldemort…"

~*~

Ron stood beside Harry in the kitchen bent over in exhaustion. He had never realised Harry could move that fast. He had pretty much jumped down the 3 flights of stairs taking them three steps at a time.

A loud squeaking sounded along with a big bang of wood on stone made Ron whip his head up to see before him a heavy door opened to reveal a cold dark room. Ron stared into the darkness as horrible pictures flashed through his mind of exactly what he might find looming in the darkness before him. Beginning to feel shaken at the very thought, Ron began to wonder if he actually had enough courage to save Ginny and get out alive. But he had to do it; he knew that now. He had to do it for his family, for Ginny, and… for Hermione. He had to be sure with all his heart they were safe weither he made back…or not.

Ron gave a quick glance over at Harry and could tell that the same burdening thoughts were squeezing the bravery from his own head, then his emerald green eyes met his own. For a second they looked each other dead in the eye and each in turn bowed their heads in a silent agreement, the silent bond they had made without saying a word; no one would get left behind. 

Together Harry and Ron stepped out into the never-ending darkness the room withheld. The only light that showed them the dark stone walls surrounding them was the light they had left on in the kitchen they had just left.

"What is this place?" Ron asked thinking aloud. The sudden noise echoed loudly against the walls making Harry jump beside him and he himself couldn't help but feel a bit shaky, not expecting it to come from his mouth so loudly.

As soon as he caught his breath again, Harry shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Looks like a cellar or some kind of a storage room."

Ron had to agree. The large stone blocks on the wall and the pebbles lain on the ground reminded him of his own cellar back at the Burrow. But why would it be hidden behind a kitchen cupboard? Why would anyone want to hide the entrance to a storage room? Unless, of course, it held more than the average cellar would hold, something someone didn't want anyone to find.

"Hey, look over there!" Harry whispered pointing a finger out into the darkness. Ron squinted on the direction Harry was pointing but could only see the same thing he saw when he looked anywhere else, darkness. But then he saw it. The tiniest speck of light flickered out through the pitch-black surroundings and only Harry with his great Seeker eyes could have spotted it.

"What is it?" Ron asked staring at the tiny sparkle of light in bewilderment.

"I dunno." Harry muttered his eyes scrunched I concentration. "But I know I've seen it before; well at least Ginny's seen it. Before…"

"Before what?" Ron said with growing impatience of his sister's whereabouts.

"I…I can't remember. She saw the light and ran towards it, then all I can remember seeing after that was that she standing before Voldemort without her wand. He wanted her to meet someone called the Heroine of Darkness."

"Who?"

"I-I don't know." Harry shook his head violently trying to see past the darkness that filled in the blank places. Why couldn't he see what had happened? What was that light? How did Voldemort get to her, or how did she get to him? And why I the world couldn't he fill in these missing blanks in his head? He was beginning to grow frustrated with his own self when Ron spoke up again.

"Well come on then. Maybe if we follow the light we'll find Ginny." Ron said then, together, they began to run forward towards the small speck of light in the far off distance.

Once they stared to get farther from the door and the dark enclosed on them greater than ever before they came to find that the light they had been chasing wasn't very distant it was just very small. As they approached the mysterious being of the light they found it to be a glow of bright green light trapped inside a small glass ball. It was small enough to fit in the palm of their hand. Harry and Ron both stared down at the tiny ball of light appearing overwhelmingly disappointed then up at each other in the same manner.

"Well…what now, Harry?" Ron shouted a little louder than he intended with his growing frustration.

"I don't know, Ron! I don't know! Okay?" Harry yelled furiously. "Do you understand me clearly now! I-DO-NOT- KNOW!"

Ron began to back away slowly as Harry began to pull at his hair and kick the table on which the ball of light lay. "I don't know how Ginny got to Voldemort! I don't know where she is now! I haven't the slightest in bloody hell where we are or where we are going! I don't know how we are going to find her! And to top it all off, I have no idea what this damn ball has to do with anything either, okay?! So just lay off of me right now! I'm not in a mood right now to mess with your criticising arse right now! I already feel worthless enough without you pointing out every little thing I've done wrong!"

Without fail Ron's red hair kicked into action and brought out the anger that had been steadily rising in his own self. 

"Damn it, Harry! Can't you see what I'm going through?! Can't you think for one bloody second about someone beside yourself?! I have just got back my girlfriend after a week of her not even knowing who I was! She had even forgotten my name, Harry! Do you know how bad that hurts?! And now, I've lost the only sister I've ever had! She's the most precious thing in this world to me besides Hermione! Don't you think that I might care for her as much as you?! Oh wait nothing is as ever as good when it doesn't come from you though, isn't that right?! So you know what Harry I'm not in one of the happiest sort of moods right now either. So can you at least for once not yell at me for something I couldn't control! 'Cause if I could, I damn well; wouldn't have let it!"

Harry couldn't bare to even look at Ron's face. Everything he had just said was so true he almost slapped himself across the face for not noticing it before. They had to wok together to get Ginny now. If he wanted her back, alive, he'd have to stop snapping at every little thing anyone said or did. He had to stop pitying his own self and worry about what was important instead of himself; he had to concentrate on getting Ginny back home.

That was how he had lost her to begin with, thinking only of himself. He had never once stopped to consider what Ginny felt; instead he decided to do it all himself. And maybe, just maybe, if he had let her in on the decision they could have stopped this from ever happening. Maybe if they had stayed together Voldemort wouldn't have been able to get to her. But he couldn't change that now. What's happened has happened and there was no turning back. The only possible to get to her was to keep going forward. And if he didn't make it in time, if he was too late to save her, he'd never be able to live with himself again. If anything happened to her, it would be all his fault…because he didn't listen.

Harry lifted his head and looked at the little sphere of light resting on the wooden stool. Something in his head seemed to be remembering something. It was if he had seen it before somehow. Something about that simple ball of light meant something more to him yet he couldn't understand what it was even if it was resting on the tip of his tongue. Wanting to know the meaning to his strange desires impede all of his other thoughts of Ginny and Voldemort, and instead all of his attention rested on this strange urge. No it was more than an urge it was an impulse; he HAD to know. 

Harry squinted down at the ball questioningly as Ron paced back and forth beside him muttering to himself. The without even thinking of the consequences, Harry threw his hand out and grabbed the light up off of the stool and clutched it impulsively. It wasn't as he had expected. He had figured it to be warm from the flames of green within it but instead it was ice cold and fairly light, almost as if he weren't holding anything at all. He stared at it for a while as it lay n his hands. Ron had suddenly stopped pacing and stared at the orb in Harry's hands.

"Harry, what are you-"

He stopped suddenly when a loud bang of a door crashed in the distance; the door in which he and Ron had come in from just slammed shut. Harry heard Ron gasp at the sudden noise and Harry's own heart began to race. He fumbled at putting the ball back down but found the stool to be gone. All at once a brilliant green light emanated from the glass ball in his very grip and shot from the gaps in Harry's fingers. 

Through the green light, Harry could see the terrified look on Ron's face he was absolutely sure matched his own. The ball in his hands began to vibrate uncontrollably and he couldn't seem to let go of it.. He could feel the hair rustling and air whistling in his ear as if he were flying through the sky on a broomstick, yet he could feel no wind at all. By looking over at Ron he could tell his was experiencing the same thing by the way his hair was rustling like wild fire on his head. A loud shrill laugh rang out in the distance. Then streaks of white light started to stream forward from all around. Then, from the corners of the room where the light shone, walked forward, tall cloaked figures. They were completely surrounded by Death Eaters.

A loud voice hollered out a spell from the crowd and cords began to wrap themselves around Harry and Ron's legs creeping all the way around their bodies. The glass sphere fell from Harry's hands and rolled across the floor, stopping at one of the figure's feet. Harry followed the glass balls path and then watched as the figure bent low and picked up the ball with long white fingers clasping them around it tightly. The figure pocketed the ball nice and gently in his robes and stepped forward into the middle of the circle. With one look at Harry he burst out laughing in a high pitched cackle Harry heard every night in his sleep. It was Voldemort. He knew that, even if he couldn't see his taunting face beneath the dark hood, those two blood red eyes were staring back at him. 

Voldemort ceased laughing at once then the room around them went deathly quiet all of a sudden. He glided over to where Harry and Ron lay and looked down at them from Harry's side with invisible eyes.

"Mr. Potter, we meet yet again," Voldemort's voice echoed out of the quiet.

"What did you do with Ginny?! Where is she?!" Harry called out at once feeling the hatred rising so rapidly in his chest. Voldemort paused then another one of his blood-chilling laughs rang through the air again.

"Impatient one, aren't we?" Voldemort said still laughing evermore. "Well, Mr. Potter, I can't tell you that just yet. No that would ruin the surprise. But rest assure, she is most certainly not dead. No, we wouldn't like want that, now would we? That would just ruin all of the fun."

Harry gazed at him evilly. If only looks could kill.

"Besides, I had a little job for her before I killed her. But more with that later. First I have to let you in on a little story of mine, a little story about you, me, and a good friend of mine, one who calls herself the Heroine of Darkness. She in the back right now, getting herself ready. Don't worry yourself though, you'll have your chance to meet her soon enough."

Harry gazed at him curiously. What in the world was Voldemort talking about? From the lost stare on Ron's face, he was pondering the same thing right about now. 

"You see, Potter, almost eighteen years ago to this very day, I was given a prophecy that promised me a second opportunity to kill you if I had failed the first attempt. You see the prophecy clearly stated that there would be awakened a woman like no other, one who would be able to defeat the only person who stood in my pathway to power, one who could defeat you, Harry Potter. And now, with the most useful help of your beloved Virginia Weasley along with many others including the brother of the wretched Sirius Black, Regulus, I have been able to awaken her. By the power of Regulus Black's journal Ms. Weasley has most successfully helped the Heroine awaken at long last and has finally joined me on the thrown of evil after all these years. And tonight you shall have the greatest honour to welcome her into power."

The circle of Death Eaters broke apart to reveal a midnight black veil that seemed to be hiding a pathway or doorway of some similar sort.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, I'd like for you to meet…the Heroine of Darkness."

Two Death Eaters pulled apart the veil to reveal a long mirror that reminded Harry very much of the Mirror of Erised back at Hogwarts. From where he lay he could see himself and Ron laying next to him a confused expression on his face. Harry watched in horror though as another figure came into view just behind them. He whipped his head around but saw nothing there behind them yet in the mirror it clearly showed a shadow of an image standing right behind him. He gazed at it for a moment and saw the shadow grow nearer and nearer and he realised that if he reached behind him he could probably feel its cloak, but when he tried he found nothing but air. 

Harry started to tremble with fear watching the figure grow more and more clear with every passing second. He was shaking repulsively knowing that the outline of that body was that of the very person who could bring him to his doom. He squinted at it closely through the darkness trying desperately to see its face, but couldn't… until… she stepped out of the mirror.

~*~

(A/N) well what are you waiting for? Push that button and tell me what you think!

(Thankz)

~cristen- Sorry if it was a bit confusing but I'm glad you got it anyway. I hope this one wasn't as…well…confusing as the last one. Perhaps it was tho? Oh well any questions just ask.J 

~lindybindy-Awww. Thanx! You're so nice and stuff. I wish you had some stories too that way I could see if I thought the same for yours. Maybe 

~ickleronniekins- I love your sign in name. Very cute. Thanx for taking the time to submit a review for my fic. I need all I can get. ;)

~


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Trust me

==Racing Time==

(A/N)Well here it is. The second to last chapter of Racing Time. sigh time does fly by doesn't it. It seems only yesterday I had first posted the first chapter of Lean on Me. tear Oh well can't do nothing now but keep going. Well this is the chapter guys. You finally can see who the heroine is. Now don't you feel special? Lol. Well I'll stop yapping now and let you read. Go ahead I'm not stopping you. But just remember to review afterwards okay?

(Disclaimer) Nope, none for me.

Chapter 13: Trust Me

Harry and Ron's mouths fell open in identical silent screams. If the shock hadn't knocked all the breath from their chest, their shrieks would have been bouncing back at them off the walls. But as they weren't yelling out their lungs, instead they chose to stand there staring ahead of them dumbfounded with horror.

Voldemort stood beside the girl threw back his head causing his hood to fall onto his shoulder and laughed his horrible ear-splitting laugh that hung in the air even once he stopped.

Harry couldn't believe what he was seeing taking place before himself. It was too unreal for him to believe. How could _she_ be the one to destroy him? How could _she_ be the one who could defeat him? Unless…

"Yes, Potter. You've finally figured it out haven't you? Now you understand the ultimate power that I have lacked all this time. For it wasn't through power, mind control, torture, or even death that could actually make the ultimate weapon against you was it? No, it was something far more than that. It was love. Pure innocent love was the only thing I had lacked all these years. And now I have finally obtained this great power I had so long desired. I couldn't have done it without this one girl, through my partner, my ally, and my queen, the Heroine of Darkness…

…Ms. Virginia Weasley."

"Ginny," Harry could hear Ron whisper beside him as he looked at his only sister with awe and horror all at once. Harry could tell just by the strained expression Ron's face withheld that he felt he had failed her, that it was his fault when Harry knew for a fact that, that wasn't true at all. It had never been Ron's problem to begin with. It was _his_ fault and no one else's. It was _his_, Harry's fault, not Ron's or anyone else's. It was he who hadn't listened, who never cared about what she wanted. It was _his_ fault.

"NO! You're wrong! Ginny would never hurt ANYONE! She'd…she'd never hurt us, or hurt me! I love her and she…she loves me!" Harry called out growing more and more frantic by the second. Voldemort however seemed totally amused by the entire situation.

"You sound so sure of yourself, Potter. But that's not what you're really thinking is it? I've seen your thoughts, I've felt your dreams, and I know what you're _really_ thinking at this moment. You're not sure at all anymore weither or not she still loves you and you get more and more scared by the day. You can no longer tell if she still thinks of you like you do her. You're not sure weither to believe your heart or not. Well today's the day she stopped loving you, Potter. She's finally given in to her dark side and stapled her heart down. Your worst dreams have finally become reality; Ms. Virginia Weasley no longer loves you."

"YOU'RE WRONG!" Harry shrieked trying to stand to his feet forgetting the robes still binding his legs and falling back down to the floor. The figures around him cackled in one huge wave of drowning laughter, and with a quick wave of Voldemort's hand, they fell silent once more.

"Well, if you're so sure of yourself, Mr. Potter, I'll give you a chance to prove yourself right." Voldemort smiled evilly, his red eyes dancing like flames. "Do you see this orb here in my hand." He held out the mysterious glowing ball of green light. "That my friend is the mystic Orb of Light. It was said in legend that the great sorcerer, Godric Gryffindor, created it long ago and it would be able to vanquish the Dark lord and all of his followers, in this case would be, well, me.

"In a few seconds, I will release you and hand to you the Orb and you will finally hold the only weapon strong enough to defeat me. But before you quickly throw it open, I want you to think for a moment. If Virginia _has _become the Heroine of Darkness and _has _become one of my followers, then she too will be destroyed. So, if you're SO sure she still loves you, prove me wrong. If you _are _right then I will gladly hand over your sweet loves freedom along with yours and Mr. Weasley here and I'll disappear forever along with my followers."

Harry nodded his head and Voldemort grinned another evil grin. Then Voldemort walked over beside Ginny, who was staring forward blankly, her usually beautiful brown eyes unfocused and at loss of their usual sparkle. Harry's face burned red with rage as he watched Voldemort push aside her long red hair and place hi lips next to her ear. Harry had to turn away when Voldemort began to whisper into her ear something that he could not hear. From where he sat. Instead, Harry chose to watch Ron as he had been this entire time, staring forward shaking his head in disbelief.

Voldemort turned back to Harry and placed the Orb into his hand smiling menacingly all the while and pointed his wand at his chest. He said a counter-curse and the ropes binding Harry and Ron slithered back into Voldemort's wand like twisting slithering serpents. Voldemort gave them a final wink and vanished before their eyes. All the hooded figures around them also started to disintegrate into the air and Harry and Ron were left alone in the quiet stone room with Ginny, who's hair were twisting around her body as if in a turbulent wind.

Harry stood to his feet quickly and took off towards Ginny in a frantic run.

"Ginny!" He called to the stationary girl. "We were all so worried. Are you-"

In one quick motion, Harry was silenced immediately when Ginny raised her hand forward. A large ball of blue fire flew from her fingertips and hit Harry square in the chest making him fly off the ground backwards and toppling over a small table. The table flipped with him and he landed sprawled on his back on the floor next to Ron who still hadn't moved from where he was to begin with.

Wheezing for breath to return to his chest, Harry grabbed for Ron's collar and drug him behind the overturned table, out of the aim of Ginny's fireballs. Just a second later, one of them hit the exact spot Ron was just sitting.

"Oh, Harry," Ginny called out in a horse cold whisper. "Won't you come out and play?" It wasn't the sweet voice Harry was used to hearing; it wasn't the same voice that would whisper, "I love you" in his ear every night before he went to sleep.

"Not the same girl you remember, Harry?" Voldemort's cruel voice whispered in his head. "Maybe now you've realised the true meaning of Power! Maybe now you've realised that I will never loose and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

"NEVER!" Harry called out standing from behind the table. But as he did so, he turned to face the only girl he ever truly loved and felt his heart suddenly tear itself from his body and threw itself onto the floor. She no longer knew who he was. He turned to face her knowing she didn't know his name, where he came from, the wonderful times they had spent together. She couldn't see him, could hear him, couldn't even feel the love he had for her. She wasn't there anymore. Now he understood what Ron had meant the other night when he told him about Hermione and her memory loss. It was more terrible than anything in the world to love someone and know they don't even know who you are. He felt pity more than ever for that redheaded boy seated next to him.

As Ginny turned to face him as well, what Harry saw shattered his heart that was still laying on the floor into a million tiny little pieces. Even glue would never be able to put it back together again. The happy chocolate brown eyes harry loved to stare into so much had turned a smoky steel grey, fogged by the evil Voldemort had put into her. The very sight of these sad grey eyes made every good feeling from his body. He could have sworn then and there that a Dementor was somewhere near had he not known then reason for his sadness. The more he stared into them the harder it was becoming to think and soon it felt as if the smoke had somehow begun to cloud his _own_ mind as well. Then he realised it _was_! Everywhere he looked smoke was beginning to surround him from every which directions, smothering him in the grief, taking over his body, making him drown in the dark grey oblivion.

Then came a light. A bright white light was shining through the murk and seemed to give him hope. It grew brighter and brighter making the smoke blow farther and farther away from him making it easier to breath. The happiness was coming back and then when the brightest shine came into his heart he felt the happiest feeling ever fill his entire body. Then in the midst of the beautiful golden light was a dazzling figure dressed in all white making its way towards him. Harry watched in awe as the beautiful figure glided over to him. It seemed to be an angel a gorgeous angel. But then what he saw… he must have been knocked out or something. He had to be dreaming. As she made her way over to him, Harry realised that it wasn't infact an angel but a beautiful girl. She looked about seventeen and had stunning brown eyes and long flowing red hair. It was Ginny.

She smiled and held out her arms to him. "Harry," she said in an almost silent whisper that sounded so close yet so far away. He recognised it at once without even having to think about it. It was truly Ginny. He smiled the first smile he had shown in two long weeks that seemed to have lasted an eternity.

"Ginny," Harry whispered in return and ran forward to her open arms. He scooped her up into a loving hug and squeezed her with all his might. He held her a minute then pulled back some when he realised she wasn't hugging him back.

"Ginny? Ginny, what's wrong?" What did he do to you? Are you alright? Where are we?"

Ginny smiled peacefully then took Harry's shaking hands into her own.

"I'm fine, Harry. But I brought you here because I needed to talk to you."

"Where's here?" Harry asked gazing around curiously.

"This is my mind, deep inside my mind where even Voldemort's evil could not penetrate. Only your love for me could have brought you here."

"So why _am _I here."

Ginny sighed and looked down at Harry's hands sadly.

"I need you to open the Orb."

"WHAT?" Harry yelled looking totally appalled.

"Harry I-"

"But-But it will kill you, you know that!"

"I know but I-"

"You really believe I'd do such a thing?"

"HARRY PLEASE? JUST LISTEN TO ME! JUST THIS ONCE!"

Harry fell silent and looked down at his feet guiltily. Where had he heard that before? From that very girl seated before him at this very moment. He hadn't listened to her before and now he was here.

"Harry, I love you with all my heart and I'd never want to loose you. If you die, Voldemort will live on and he'll kill everyone, my mum, my dad, Lupin, Tonks, Hermione, Ron, my brothers, Fleur. They'll all be gone because no one can kill him besides you. But if you open the Orb-"

"You will die! And Ginny I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if you were gone."

Ginny shook her head pityingly and sighed.

"I will, Harry. I will die, but it's the only way," she said slowly.

Harry stood up and began to pace back and forth as she looked up at him sadly. She stood up as well and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Harry, if you die so will I and everyone else, no matter what. But if you just do it all the evil will be over with and the world could go on again. Harry, I _never_ want to leave you, but I have no choice. If you don't do this, the world as we know it will be gone forever.

Harry's eyes brimmed with tear and he hid them with his hands. " But I don't want to lose you, Ginny. I-I love you."

Ginny smiled at him heavenly and pulled his hands away from his eyes making him look at her deep within her own. "You're a wonderful person, Harry, and I love you so much. But could you please do this for me. Trust me this once and let me make this choice."

Harry sat on the ground again and ran his hands over his eyes drying away the escaped tears.

"I know you'll make the right choice," Ginny whispered looking down upon his sad stressed face. "I trust you know what you have to do and I'll have to leave you with that."

Harry jumped to his feet at once and wrapped his arms tenderly around her tiny waist. "No, Ginny! No, don't leave me! I can't let you go! Don't go, please!"

"I'll always be with you in your heart if you just trust me." She blew a kiss and waved goodbye as she steadily drifted back into the light. Harry ran after her calling out her name trying to reach her in the light that was continually drifting farther and farther away with every step he took. He gave one shattering cry as her last words lingered in his ears.

__

Trust me.

"Ginny!" he called out as they grey smoke started to smother him in its thick midst once more, choking him, gagging him from the only breath left in his chest. Then he was thrown forward from the smoke back into the reality in which he came.

A bright blue light hit him directly in his chest and he toppled over the table once more. The Orb flew from his hands and he rolled over next to Ron's side. Harry crawled quickly over trying to roll out of the aim of Ginny's fire.

Ron was staring forward towards his sister trying to accept what he was actually seeing. His baby sister, the only sister he ever had was trying to kill him and Harry at this very moment. Harry toppled overt the table locking him from Ginny's piercing stare and pulled himself up again to sit next to him. Just a few seconds earlier he had jumped up from behind the table and stood there entranced by Ginny's stare not moving or blinking or anything then Ginny threw another fireball at him and he was now back sitting by Ron's side.

Harry was gasping for air but Ron didn't have time to check and see if he was alright. All that mattered right now was that Ginny wasn't who she used to be any more. She was a monster and it was his fault. It was his responsibility for her wellbeing and he let her down. Harry began to shake his arm and he had no choice but to listen to him now.

"WHAT?" Ron growled with angry irritated looking eyes.

"I have to do it." Harry said still gasping for breath.

"Do what?"

"Open the Orb. I have to do it."

"WHAT ARE YOU INSANE!" Ron yelled furiously jumping to his feet. Never in a million years would he let Harry hurt Ginny much less him kill her.

Harry pulled Ron back down behind the table by his arm as another fireball whizzed past his head making his hair ruffle in the wind.

"Ginny spoke to me." Harry whispered.

What in the world was this boy talking about? Had he gone insane?

"What the bloody hell do you mean?" Ron shouted. He was seriously deciphering in his head weither or not to knock this boy aside the head. It might just knock some sense into him.

"I mean I had a kind of…vision."

"Oh a vision was it?" Ron said rolling his eyes sarcastically. "Now where have I heard that before?"

"Look, Ron, I'm serious!"

"Oh really. Well how do you know it wasn't just Voldemort trying to trick you into doing it?"

"Because…because…I just know okay?!"

"Oh well that just helps a whole lot now doesn't it?"

Ron could tell Harry was getting frustrated but really it didn't bother him as much as he knew he should. But it was getting out his anger.

"Do you know that feeling you feel when you're around Hermione? That one that makes you feel as if you know everything is going to be alright just because she's there with you?" Harry shouted his face red with determination. "Well that's how I felt with Ginny! Ginny's the one that asked me to open it and I just can't ignore her again! I didn't once before and it got us ended up here! I love Ginny with all my heart and soul and I just can't ignore her again! I hate it so much but it's what she wants. I can't tell her no again!"

Ron hung his head then looked up at Harry with a hard, determined face. He wouldn't hurt her, not now, not ever. He'd make sure if that. "I can't let him hurt her." Ron muttered under his breath.

"What?" he heard Harry whispered to himself before Ron flew out from behind the table and ran full force to the middle of the room.

"Let her go Voldemort!" Ron yelled looking around for some sort of sign of where he may have been. Had Voldemort actually had been there in physical form, Ron wasn't sure if he wouldn't try to attack him with his bare hands. "If you want to take someone take me instead! But leave my sister alone! She doesn't deserve this! Take me in her place, just don't hurt her!"

"Foolish boy!" Voldemort's evil voice shot through the air. Ron trembled all the way down to his feet. How did he get in the mess? Oh yeah just about the time when Ginny came home from the hospital and held his finger with her little hand. It was a bond from then on and he'd promised himself he'd be the best big brother ever. "You cannot take her place! Who are you to think you can take the place on the throne of evil! You are worth nothing!"  
"You CAN'T take her! She's my only sister and I'd rather die than let you take her!" Ron shouted starting to feel frantic. What if Voldemort didn't let her go? What if Harry did open that orb and Ginny died. What would he do?

"Well if you won't move… KILL HIM!" Voldemort's voice rang through the semidarkness.

Ginny's cold grey eyes pointed themselves at Ron and she held out her hand towards him. Instead of blue, a ball of fire in her hand turned a brilliant shade of violet. Ron didn't have time to think. His brain went dead as the ball started to hurl itself towards him.

"NOOO!"

Both Ron and Harry turned to see Hermione running towards Ron full force her arms swinging at he side. Ginny took notice too and the ball stopped mid-air and flew back towards Ginny's and she aimed instead in Hermione's direction.

"Hermione, NO!" Ron shouted then lunged out at her just as the light flew past his head. Ron grabbed her arm and pulled her down behind a table and held her close to his chest.

"Why did you come after me?" Ron said through gasps of breath.

Hermione smiled also breathing heavily. "I couldn't let you kill yourself now could I?"

"Hermione?" Ron sighed smiling at her amazed. If he didn't know any better he could have sworn that she was in her right mind again. She nodded her head and he squeezed her tight. She was all right again. She was Hermione again.

It was time Harry knew it now more than ever. He had to do as Ginny wished, her last request. Tears were pouring down Harry's cheeks as he stood from behind his own overturned table. He could see Ron and Hermione who were sitting on the other side of the room watch him stand up open mouthed. They knew what was happening too. They understood what was going on.

"What are you doing?" Voldemort's cold voice screamed sounding quite shaky.

"I'm doing this for Ginny!" Harry cried out.

He grabbed the Orb from off the ground and held it ahead of himself. He closed his eyes tight and Ginny's smiling face flashed before his eyes right before he twisted it open.

Everything froze on the spot and there was no sound at all in the air. Harry watched in awe as the sphere of mysterious green light rose from his hand and began to pivot and twirl in mid-air. Then all at once it too froze and a large blinding flash of green filled the room. It hit Ginny square in the chest and she screamed in pain before collapsing on the floor. Voldemort's face loomed visible in the air for a couple of seconds screaming in rage ad pure agony. Then it shattered into thousands of shimmering stars followed by Hermione's piercing cry of fright.

Then all was silent.

Ron wouldn't let go of Hermione and wouldn't dare take his face from her shoulder. He was too terrified to look. A loud clunk was followed shortly by rapid footsteps and Hermione ran her hands through his hair.

"Ron?" she whispered into his ear and he looked up into her fallen face. He knew something was wrong. She bit her lip and he finally found the courage to stand up but dared not to let go of her again.

It was over…but…

"Ginny!" he called then turned around sharply looking desperately for a sin of her long red hair or her bright brown eyes. But he didn't. It was just as he feared to see her. There sat Harry on the floor in the middle of the room, Ginny's red hair falling out of his arm. He cradled her like a rag doll as she lay limp in his arms. Hermione ran over and slid by Ginny's side. Ron couldn't move his feet didn't seem to be able to understand anymore. His knees did though and he fell to the floor and started to cry.

Harry lay Ginny down and left her in Hermione's care and instead he decided to stand up and pace. It was his fault it was all his fault. Why had he listened to her? He should've just let himself die.

Hermione grabbed up Ginny's wrist and held it between her fingers.

"It's not there," she breathed dropping Ginny's wrist back to the ground and covering her mouth with her hands in shock.

Ron's mouth dropped and he turned deathly pale.

"Move over!" he shrieked and unintentionally pushed Hermione over to the side as he picked up Ginny's wrist in his own hands.

"There might still be time!" Ron shouted waving Hermione over to him. "Quick do that spell we learned last year; the one that jump started the unicorns heart after its stroke."

Hermione crawled over and pointed her wand at Ginny's chest. She started to mutter an incantation. Under her breath as a bright yellow light glowed at the end of her wand.

Inside his mind, Harry prayed with all his heart. The spell seemed to be taking longer than it should. _Please work,_ Harry begged. _Please, please work. _If only there was some way she could come back. If only there were some way he could make it okay again. He had to be able to hold her, to kiss her, to have her love him again. He just had to. If only…

Hermione placed her wand on the ground and grabbed Ginny's wrist again. She held it for only a few seconds then jumped back in surprise.

"It's there!" she called out making everyone jump as well. "It's there! She's alive!"

(A/N) Well what you think? Good enough for you? Well I guess you know by now, but the next chapter is going to be the last. It's going to be sad in a way but also very happy. I bet you can't even guess huh? Well, duh! You should know! Lol. Anywho I want lots of reviews please. I'll be waiting patiently for them but they better get here soon. Wink wink Well until next time…

Love from Lizzie

(Thanks)

RussellGrl15- Yay! You're back! I'm so happy! I was just thinking about the Friends finale when I first read your review and I started crying too. Oh isn't that like the best show ever! I was so happy when Rachel went back to Ross. I had been wishing they'd get together for so long! Yay! Oh and I guess you can tell by now that Hermione has come to Harry and Ron's rescue (well actually more Ron's but you get my drift) So what you think about this chap? Good? Or not?

ashleigh- Well I told you who the Heroine is. Happy now? Lol. So had you guessed who it was?

Goldilocks31890- thanx lots. Did you like?

__


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Let It Pour

==Racing Time==

(A/N) Well guys this is it. The very last chapter of Racing Time. Wow. I'm about to cry. Ugh. I'm so scared. I don't want it to end. I don't know when I'll make another long fic. I'll have to pry through my head tonight before I fall asleep for more fic ideas. Well I really don't have anything to say. I'm too choked up about typing the LAST chapter that I can hardly type at all. Well here goes nothing. Well something but… you know what I mean.

(Disclaimer) Sadly no the Harry Potter series does not belong to me nor do the characters in this fic. But what I do own is the plot. Hey it's a start right. But what sucks is that has nothing close to Ron. sigh Damn it!

Chapter 14: Let It Pour

Harry sat in the middle of the empty Quidditch Pitch across the dirt road from the Burrow. He sat and listened to the rolling thunder in the distance and watched lightening streak across the sky. A light drizzle of rain was falling on his head, and the ground was squishy with mud, but he didn't really care. He had other things on his mind at the moment.

It had been nearly a week since Ginny had been taken to St. Mungo's. Just yesterday she was brought back to the Burrow but that didn't mean she had got any better. Infact she hadn't made any improvement since he, Ron, and Hermione first brought her in. The Healers had told Mr. and Mrs. Weasley that they weren't even sure if she'd get better, perhaps only worse. That's what was going through Harry's mind; that was what he was thinking about, had been thinking about, for the past week. He had caused her this pain; he's the one that put the Weasley's only daughter and sister in her deathbed. It was his fault he had chose to listen to her. Why did he in the first place?

Oh yeah, because he loved her. Why could nothing go right for him? It was as if every person he ever loved or felt close to had been taken away from him. It was a miracle Ron and Hermione weren't in the ground either.

Speaking of which, there they were, making their way towards him hand in hand at that very moment. Harry tried to hide the fact that he had seen them but that didn't seem to stop them in the least. He didn't need their pity right now. It was Ginny, who was lying just upstairs, who needed the pity. That is, if her nurse actually let them get anywhere near Ginny's room.

"Harry!" Hermione called from behind his back.

__

Please go away, Harry said in his head. _Just go away._

He waited a little while and had almost believed they _had_ gone when he saw their shadows standing over him.

"Harry, we should go in," Hermione said lightly from behind his back. "It looks like it's about to storm." Lightening flashed in front of him and he gave a slight shiver.

Harry turned around and looked at them. They were still wearing those same faces they had all week. It was a mixture of pity and worry. For some reason they hadn't left him from their sight; they must have thought he'd do something irrational, and actually that didn't sound like such a bad idea to him right about now.

"I'll come in a little while. You two go ahead and I'll catch up later. I just want to think for a bit," Harry said as thunder rolled over head.

Hermione looked at Ron with eager eyes then knelt down by Harry's side. "Harry, if you need to talk we'll always be here for you. You know that right?" she said looking at him almost expecting him to reach out and grab her by the neck and pour out all his feelings. He could tell she was a bit disappointed when he didn't.

"Yeah, I know," Harry said solemnly and he turned away from them once more.

Hermione sighed behind his back and Ron gave a faint groan of irritation. "Alright, suit yourself, mate," Ron said and Harry could hear them as they finally trudged away back towards the Burrow, the mud squishing beneath their feet.

__

Why should they care? Harry thought to himself_. Why should anyone care if it rains on me or if I get struck by lightening or if I drown in a flash flood or something? Even I don't care what happens to me_.

He sighed and then lay on his back staring up at the swirling grey sky. He had to blink back a bit when a few droplets of water started to fall into his eyes.

__

Really, it would make no difference if I do die. Harry concluded_. After all I'm already dead, alive and breathing, without Ginny here. There isn't any use for me anymore. Voldemort's dead now so what good do I have to offer this world? Nothing! So why not just get it over with? Why should I just hang around and get in anyone's way._

Even Ginny wasn't around anymore to make him feel any better about himself. She was the only person who ever made him feel like he was worth more than a famous name but she wasn't even here to dry away his hidden tears.

_I have no purpose here, _he continued_, I couldn't even save the person I loved. Why else do I have to offer anyone except that I killed Voldemort. Well what good was that now? He's gone! I don't have anything to live up to now!_

…I couldn't even save her!

Harry slammed his fist down into the ground with fury and it landed smack into a puddle of water and mud that splattered his face and chest but he didn't even bother to wipe it off.

Dumbledore had talked with Harry not long after Ginny had been hospitalised. He told him that the best reason for Ginny to even be able to survive the blow from the Orb was that she still had good in her heart even if Voldemort had clouded most of it with his evil. _"But the good of one's heart cannot totally save a person,"_ he had told Harry as they sat together on a bench in the tearoom. _"The only other thing that would have saved her was the love of another. The love from another's heart saved her, the love from your heart, Harry. For a hero is not always determined by his strength but by the goodness and love from his heart."_

Well fat luck that did for him now! Ginny was practically dead now give or take a few days, and then what would he have? His best friends had each other, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had Ginny to worry about, and Ginny wasn't there for him anymore. If he was to be judged by the strength of his heart then he was good as dead. He had nothing left to love anymore what with Ginny gone. He wasn't a hero, not without her.

Ginny was running with all her might through the darkness, the darkness that had followed her all along, that had steady chased her all this time, always just a few steps behind her, always steadily breathing down her neck. She could hear its voice whispering in her ear, tempting her to turn back, and telling her to give up. And yet even thought she knew she had to keep going and keep moving, the darkness didn't seem so bad after all. Her temptation to stop and let it be over with grew stronger and stronger as time ticked by. Her deep urge for rest made the darkness not seem as horrible anymore. Infact, it seemed as if it were the only way out of this never-ending tunnel of nothingness.

The dreaded exhaustion was seeping into her heart fast than she had expected. It seemed as if the nothing was draining her of energy with every passing second. It wasn't going to give up that easy. It wanted to stop her no matter what. It wasn't going to let her go until it got what it wanted, and what it wanted was her. Its breath was hot on the back of her neck and she could hear it's ragged breathing drawing nearer and nearer. It was close… too close.

The hissing sound of the nothing rang in her ear louder than it ever had. It was closer than it ever was. It could taste her fear and it made it stronger. Its blackness was drowning her, suffocating her in itself. She tried to breathe but found no air. She fell to the ground not able to move any longer and it closed in on her like a predator on its fallen prey and she couldn't do anything about it. Her mind stopped and she felt as if her lungs were about to through themselves out of her throat as she gasped desperately for breath. There was nothing she could do. The nothing had taken over her and she would be lost forever in its everlasting darkness that drained her very soul from her body.

Then through the darkness there came a hand. She held onto it with all her might and she refused to let go. She held onto it tighter than she ever could have before scared to let go and fall once more into the nothings never-ending depths. She felt her breath return and gulped it down savouring ever ounce. She was flying up again towards a brilliant white light and she had to shield her eyes, which were starting to burn from not being accustomed to this brilliance. She looked up enjoying the moment even with the simple sting and then she saw the face she had dreamed about all along. The arm was connected to a body the body of the person that kept her going all this time. Two emerald green eyes were staring into her soul bringing her back to life. He pressed his lips to hers bowing back her soul into her heart making her finally feel alive again. Then the light began to get brighter and brighter and she had to blink back painful tears. Harry smiled at her and she felt her heart leap with happiness that she never could have dreamed possible.

He leaned in close to her ear and she could feel his breath blowing through her hair as he spoke. "You're safe now," He whispered the words dangling in her head. She watched him back away slowly then disappeared all at once as she was filled with the blinding white light.

Ginny gave a faint scream and woke up to a bright flash of light from her bedroom window followed by a roaring roll of thunder. She was back. She was back home where she had been wishing to be. But…

"Harry…" she whispered under her breath. All the realisation of what had happened to her came pouring into her image by image and it all became so overwhelming she started to cry. The long dark chamber, the Orb of Light, Voldemort, and the dreadful image of herself in that mirror; it was more horrible than anything else than to see yourself as the very person to kill the one you love. She shuddered and still kept searching her mind for the 'other things', the things that she couldn't control. She as the Heroine, attacking Harry, and Ron, and then Hermione, and then, there was something else, something she couldn't quite explain. Harry had come to her and she seemed to be in two places at once. She remembers Harry standing there in a trance and she could also remember holding on to him telling him to open the Orb. She had told him that willingly of course, she knew what would happen if she hadn't.

Another flash of blinding light brought her back to her scenes and she jumped out of bed with the next boom of thunder. She had to get to Harry. He wasn't exactly sure why, but she had to find him, to make sure he was okay. She had to be able to hold him again.

She rushed to the door but nearly collapsed to the floor with exhaustion after two steps forward. She hadn't thought about it, but she must have been in that bed for a while now. She practically crawled across the floor towards the door and out into the hall. She didn't care what happened. All she knew was that she had to find Harry. It was a set plan and nothing was going to stop her.

She pulled herself back onto her feet as she neared the door and threw it open and made a dash for the landing. Just as she neared it a large woman in bright white robes was running up the stairs ahead of her. She had wild black hair with several streaks of grey pulled into a tight knot on the back of her head. She must have been a Healer because Ginny could clearly see a gold badge with a big 'H' on her chest, gleaming proudly.

Ginny's legs couldn't take the stress anymore and she fell to a slump by her parent's door. She tried to pull herself back to her feet by pulling on the doorknob but even her arms were shaking like mad. She started to cry out of desperation and absolute pity for herself; she felt utterly useless.

The Healer took on look at Ginny's pathetic disposition and slapped her hands to her mouth in shocked awe.

"MS. WEASLEY!" she screamed stopping dead in her tracks. "WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING OUT OF BED?!"

Ginny gave another feeble attempt at pulling herself up by the doorknob but fell once more onto the floor. The Healer practically sprinted over to her as Ginny tried to push her away.

"No! No, leave me alone! I have to get to Harry!" Ginny said throwing her leg out in from of her as the Healer made a grab for her arm.

"NO!" the Healer yelled in absolute torment at the very idea. "No you may NOT! You are far too weak to be running out to the Quidditch Pitch at this time! I absolutely forbid it!" She flung Ginny's leg painfully to the side and slung Ginny inelegantly over her shoulder as Ginny pleaded to be released as well as kicked and flailed her arms trying to get away from the unnaturally large woman.

Eventually, the woman plopped Ginny down on the bed in her room and locked the door behind herself; undoubtedly to be sure Ginny wouldn't be able to stand long enough to get out. It was true though; she couldn't stand long enough. So she surrendered to the Healer's authority and lay back on her bed waiting for whatever came next.

The Healer began to bustle about at a small cabinet set up beside Ginny's closet with her back turned.

"When did you wake?" she asked hurriedly as though the sooner she got whatever it was out the better Ginny would be.

"Just now. But I-"

"Well I definitely wasn't expecting that you to wake up at all, I tell you. Much less wake up today. And wanting to go out in the pouring rain you say. Ha! It's a miracle your mother isn't here or she'd be screaming her lungs out right now. She being too obsessed about your condition and you'd find me crazy if I dare go find her and her husband. You Weasley's are some stubborn one's I tell you. You don't seem to want to give it up."

She continued to mutter to herself as she placed a vial full of nasty green liquid in Ginny's hands for her to drink and then continued to go on rambling about. Not even pausing to think Ginny threw her head back and let the bitter potion flow down her throat in one huge gulp. It wasn't until after a few seconds that the vial taste finally hit her tongue. As soon as it hit her stomach though, she could magically feel her legs come to life once more.

The Healer walked over to Ginny's bed and began to fluff up her pillows behind her head. "Now rest your head. Your going to need your strength for when you family hears about this. Infact when I go to get your soup downstairs I'll have to stop to send work to your mum about your awakening. Dear God, I'll expect she'll be in here bawling her eyes out before you can even take the first bite of your food."

Ginny grinned wickedly and stood from her bed when the lady's back was turned. She slid over to her trunk lying in the nearby corner on the floor and pulled it open. Just where she had expected it to be, Ginny's wand lay neatly onto of her wizarding robes where her mum always put it. She stood up slowly again and turned to face the Healer who had just dropped whatever it was that was in her hands.

"You must not know the Weasleys well enough," Ginny laughed evilly pointing the wand threateningly at the terrified woman's face. "If you would have then you would have known not to give me that potion, at least not until my parents were home. Because as you'll soon find out, us Weasleys never give up and ALWAYS get what we want. And you know what? What I want is Harry right now! So move over, bitch! Miss Virginia Weasley's coming through! And there ain't no way someone like you is going to stop her!"

A sprinkle of light rain was falling down on Ginny's arms as she let the door slam behind her on the way to the front yard. Ron and Hermione were walking towards her scattering the chickens on their way over. They took one look at her and stopped dead in their tracks.

"Ginny!" they called out in unison and each in turn swept her up into a huge hug each.

When they stood back to look at her Ginny couldn't help but grab Hermione into another embrace yet again. She couldn't shake off the regret of hurting her like she did. And now that Hermione was herself again it was as if she had burned a huge hole in her heart. Tears of shame kept burning at Ginny's eyes but somehow she managed to hide them with the raindrops clinging to her cheeks

"I'm so sorry, 'Mione. Will you ever forgive me?" Ginny sniffled choosing to pretend the obvious tears weren't even there.

Hermione smiled at her lovingly then looked up at Ron in the same manner. She slid her hand into his and winked at Ginny's curious eyes. "Sure, Gin. Why not? I'm in a good mood this afternoon." Ginny laughed and sobbed at the same time and threw her arms, once again around Hermione's shoulders.

"I never wanted to hurt you. I swear I'd have rather kill myself than do that to you."

"I know." Hermione smiled a simple happy gleam so visible in her eyes. She seemed radiant even though the sun wasn't in the sky. She seemed to be lighting up the air just with her presence.

Ron just stood there gazing from one girl to the other with a look of bewilderment. Undoubtedly he hadn't yet processed that it was actually her, his sister, standing before him.

Ginny turned to Ron her tears more obvious to herself now and stared at him like she wanted to take him in all at once.

"Oh, Ron!" she cried and lunged out at him. "I love you so much. I don't know what I'd do without a brother like you to make sure I'm protected."

"Uh…thanks I guess." Ron muttered not knowing what to do with himself. "But… how… I don't…"

"No time, Ron," Hermione interrupted waving her arms frantically as Ginny finally let go of Ron's shoulders. "He's at the Pitch, Gin. He should still be there since we only just left him."

Ginny could have kissed Hermione right then and there but managed not to deciding she really didn't want Ron to stare at her like she was a totally different stranger anymore than he was now. Instead she just smiled gratefully and took off across the dirt road to the abandoned field across the way. But not before she could get a glance at a diamond ring gleaming proudly on Hermione's left hand.

As she drew closer she could plainly see the large patch of trees that blocked out the secret Pitch she used to watch bill and Charlie play on when she was only a tiny girl. Ginny raced down the unmarked trail that led to the entrance and whipped about the last small bunch of trees to find Harry sitting there in the middle of it all, his knees pulled up to his chest and his hair flapping around in the turbulent wind and rain.

The rain began to pour down harder than ever and her soft red hair turned to clumps of deep blood red. Heavy drops began to run down her cheeks and onto the ground while some of them ran down the back of her night dress sending shivers down her spine and her teeth began to chatter. A flash of lightening streaked through the air illuminating the trees around her and making her jump with fright.

"Harry!" she called out through the air but was drowned out by the sound of deep rolling thunder. Beginning to grow frantic she ran faster and faster. Harry remained seated on the grassy field as she continued to slip and slide in the mud and newly formed potholes in the wet ground.

Another streak of lightning and an immediate clash of thunder made her whip around to be sure there wasn't some monstrous creature crashing through the trees behind her.

"Harry!" she called out once more, missing the lightening this time by a couple of mere, lucky seconds.

Harry lifted his head up that had been buried deep in his arms and listened closely to the howling wind in his ears. He could have sworn he had just heard someone call his name. Someone he had only just been dreaming about seconds earlier. But no, it couldn't be…

"Harry!"

There it was again. This time he was sure of it. But no it couldn't be who he thought it was. It had to be Ron or Hermione coming to get him from the rain. Or even Mrs. Weasley but surely not… I mean it couldn't be…

"Ginny?" he asked himself admitting aloud the very first person that had triggered in his mind.

"Harry!" Ginny's sweet voice rung out again for the fourth time. Harry didn't have to look back to see whom it was that voice belonged to. Even if he had his glasses where too fogged up to be able to tell. But as he turned back and saw the outline of her tiny blurry figure racing towards him across the Quidditch Pitch his heart leapt with absolute joy.

"Ginny!" Harry called back running towards the one person he had missed more than anything else in the world. As she drew nearer and he could see her beautiful red hair clinging to her skin her knew what it felt like to be happy, truly happy.

Ginny ran with all her might and jumped full force into Harry's arms. He stumbled backward slightly but managed to maintain his balance and not topple over. He wrapped his arms tight around her waist and absolutely refused to let go. She was positive that if she had wanted to get free she wouldn't have been able to. But that wasn't on her mind at this moment. It was all so wonderful just to feel him in her arms again to worry about things like that.

She held Harry closer to her than she ever though possible and let it sink into her heart that it was he who was holding her. He brought something into her that no one else could. It felt like her heart was fit to burst with happiness as he pressed his lips against hers and she wasn't about to stop it. She strung her fingers through his jet-black hair, clumped in patches from the falling rain. The one thing that had been torn from them the moment they had said they were over had came back into their souls full force and it almost knocked them completely off of their feet. It was more wonderful than the morning of Christmas; was worth more than all the gold in every vault in Gringott's bank; more powerful than any spell cast by any wizard that ever existed; and more welcoming and heart-warming than hugs and kisses from your friends and family after a long vacation. It was pure love, everlasting love that no one could ever tear apart. It was here between these two heart-struck teenagers standing in the middle of a muddy Quidditch Pitch in the pouring rain as lightening flashed in ever direction and thunder roared overhead.

As they broke apart Ginny rested her head on Harry's chest and refused to move it elsewhere.

"Ginny," Harry whispered into her ear.

"Yeah," Ginny sighed, still keeping her head buried into him listening to the steady rhythm of his heart and following the drawing of his every breath.

He lifted her off of him and stared her dead in the eye. She stood there entranced by the beauty of the emerald green and refused to look away, not that she'd have been able to if she'd tried.

"Ginny Weasley, I love you more than anything in this world," Harry started, the slightest sign of a glinting tear in his eye. Ginny could pick it out even through the splatter of rain clinging to his skin. "Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I'd find someone like you. You make me feel worth living, like more than just a famous name. Then once I saw Voldemort taking you away from me in a dream, I knew in my heart and soul, I wouldn't bare having to lose you. I would rather never to speak to you again than to see you dead. I couldn't take that chance of him getting to you because of me and I knew I had to let you go. I thought it over in my head again and again but never once did I think of you. Never once did the thought cross my head that you might want something different. I was selfish and stupid and didn't even consider how you might feel, and I'm sorry. I almost lost you Ginny… forever. But I hope in your heart you can find a way to forgive me. Because I don't know what I'd do without you in my life, Gin. I can't see me without you. You mean everything to me, Virginia Weasley…

"…And I love you."

Ginny began to sob silently even though she was smiling ear to ear. She hung her head guiltily not being able to cover her hands with her eyes because Harry had her shoulders in a hard grip.

"I should be the one who's sorry, Harry," she whispered and kissed a teardrop off of Harry's cheek. "I never should have called you selfish because you're not. You give and give until you're almost self-sacrificing and I respect you so deeply for that. I regret every word. You did what you had to do what you thought was best. It was your decision to begin with. Even if I had stayed with you it would have happened all the same. Maybe even worse. It was fate, Harry. And we beat it…together.

"But that doesn't matter now. All that matters is that we're together again." She looked deep into those green eyes of his and he stared lovingly back into hers. "And nothing will ever stop that."

The rain continued to fall but Harry and Ginny stood standing there, determined never to let go what they had wanted back more than anything else in the world. The lightening flashed and the thunder rolled as huge droplets fell to the ground. But none of that mattered anymore, at least not to them. For all they cared…

…Let it pour.

THE END

(A/N) OMG! I can't believe I just typed that. I'm totally crying right now. It was so sweet. Not to be conceded or anything. Awww. I loved this fic and I've been eagerly waiting to type this chapter since I stared I hope you all like it. I know I do. sigh Now what to do. I don't know what to do with myself anymore. Typing up this fic isn't a priority anymore so I don't know what else to do with my time. But now I guess this is it for this little series thing. This is the last installation of Lean on Me and Racing Time. It's like my kids you know and now their moving away. sigh They're growing up so fast. Well I can always have another. Lol. Okay enough with the lameness I'll stop now. Well that's all for now. Until next time…

Love from Lizzie

(Thanks and such for my wonderful reviewers)

DarkFlower2113- Wow. Long review. Thanks for everything. I personally don't find my writing to be all that great, but you made me feel special anyway. I'm glad that even if you didn't stick to my fic you apologised and actually came back. You didn't have to but you did. Thanks. Voldemort is really hard to write. I had so much trouble trying to keep him in character and I had to keep going over and over the dialect to keep him straight. At first he sounded too nice, then he sounded to insane-like, then he didn't sound like he had character at all. I was so frustrated but I got it through. I hope you post another chapter in your fic soon as well. I'm thoroughly anticipating it. Bye bye for now.

cristen- Don't worry we all get lazy and decide just to not sign in at times. I do it way too often. I can't believe you weren't positive if it would all be right in the end. Well ofcourse it had to be alright. I wouldn't have begun writing it in the first place if there wasn't a happy ending. That's just insane. Lol. Well thanks for reading I'm glad you liked my fic. And thanks so much for being such a loyal reviewer. I respect you for that.

Sakura Sayoran- I didn't take it as a flame. Flames are a lot meaner than that. I know. I've gotten a few from a couple retarded H/H supporters who had nothing else to do but make fun of other people's work. I'm always open to helpful criticism. I didn't mean for my characters to sound OOC but I don't think I'll change them anyway. Harry sounded like a crybaby because he just lost the only person he ever loved. I know I'd feel the same way if I lost my boyfriend and couldn't get him back. And I don't understand what you mean by my 'flow'. I don't see how I could make it any different than it already is. Thanks for reading.

ashleigh- When I saw your first review I couldn't help but smile. I was like "well that sux. She already figured it out." Lol. Thanks for reading and I'm glad you liked it so much.

Goldilocks31890-Lol. Yes, evil Ginny is always so funny I have to agree. I would have dragged that out a little longer, but I didn't know how. I didn't have anything else planned in the plot for her to be evil with so I couldn't. Poo, I know. But I did squeeze in a little Ginny mischief in this chapter. Hey, she called the Healer a bitch. That's always pretty funny. Thanks for reading.

RussellGrl15-Well… I'm glad you liked it. Lol. I guess Hermione paid Ro back for the whole life saving thing in Lean On Me last chapter. They both stopped each other from killing themselves. I didn't even mean to do that either. It just sort of happened I guess. Thanks so much for reading. You've been loyal to both my fics and I respect you greatly for it. Actually you've read all my fics I think. Wow. That's awesome. Oh and yes I do know how hard it is to type awesome really fast. I've done it a couple of times in the past. It's pretty hard huh? Lol. Oh well thanks SO much for reviewing. Do it again if you like. hint hint well that's all for today. Bye.


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